oldest or youngest in your grade - how did it impact YOU?

[Anonymous]

Another youngest here. Didn't notice any issues other than not being able to drive at the same time and went to college at the age of 17. Was at the top of my class, was a leader and did fine at sports. I am considering putting my youngest in school with a late birthday also, in lieu of the ever-popular red shirting her so that she will be the oldest. Being bored does nobody any favors.

[Anonymous]

Turned 18 in October during my first year in college. School was easy. Offered chance to skip a grade. Passed on that after discussions with parent who had skipped two grades. Some sports not possible due to size but others available including Tennis, skiing, gymnastics, soccer, etc.

[Anonymous]

I was one of the youngest and I'm a woman.

I was a late bloomer anyway and combined with being one of the youngest in my class, the junior high years were pretty grim. I was just physically immature way longer than almost all the girls in my grade. On the plus side, my parents sure didn't have to worry about me getting inapprpriate male attention too early. I was invisible to all boys my age!

It sucked not being able to drive and drink legally earlier.

Other than that, no complaints. I was athletic and alwayd did well academically. I had plenty of friends (except for that dreaded time period in junior high and really, junior high sucks for everyone).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was always one of the youngest (early Sept birthday), and I definitely think it affected me as far as confidence, etc. I was always very strong academically, which is why my parents let me go on instead of holding back, but emotionally and developmentally I was immature. Very shy. Not assertive. Afraid to participate or speak up. Was often bulllied. I think having waited a year would have made a big difference for me developmentally with confidence levels.

Yes, this was me as well. Always the youngest in my class with an October birthday (September cut-off) and while I excelled academically and graduated near the top of my class, I struggled socially. But I do think personality is an important factor. I suspect a more confident and outgoing child may have fared better in the same situation.

[Anonymous]

I am a very extraverted adult with a good number of close friends. We moved from the UK to the the US the summer I turned 12. My parents put me in 7th grade - which was the right grade, as in I made the cut-off, but I was one of the youngest kids. I think this was a bad decision. Academically it was a big adjustment - cultural and curricular differences. Socially it was huge. Being younger and less mature intensified it. I am so glad my kids don't have birthdays near the cut-off so we didn't have to make those decisions.

Everything worked out fine for me, but my early adolesence was really awful. I would never judge someone for red-shirting their kid.

[Anonymous]

I hope everyone who keeps telling me to redshirt my summer birthday girl will read this thread! It sounds like sometimes a smart kid is just smart, and a shy kid is going to be shy whether they are held back or not. A lot of people have said to me "don't you want your daughter to be a leader?" I really think so much depends on her personality and not her age within her grade. Looking back, some of the most popular kids in my class had birthdays throughout the year. Some were older, but one was one of the youngest in my class.

I was at the young end of my grade and did very well academically, ok but not great in athletics, and in the middle socially. I really don't think that being held back would have changed things for me in athletics or socially. I wasn't shy, but I don't think I would have been the most popular even had I been held back. And I wasn't going to end up with a sports scholarship even if I had been held back two years.

[Anonymous]

Youngest by a year. I don't remember any impacts except poor penmanship. I'm also the youngest of 3 in my family so I think that helped maturity-wise and academically. I can tell you the only time the age difference impacted me was when I went to summer camp, which was by age and not grade. Now that sucked!!

[Anonymous]

Youngest. (Late Nov.) top of class and top athlete. Was actually a grade ahead in math. Had athletic scholarship to top div.1 school. Ok socially, but had rough years in middle school. Late bloomer, which in retrospect was a very good thing.

I thought I would have been bored and not challenged if I had waited a year. Hubby skipped two grades, though, and doesn't recommend. Said he was bullied for being smart and smallest in class. Not a good combo.

[Anonymous]

I wonder if most of these posts are by women? Would be interesting to hear some male perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I was always the youngest. Started school at 4, learned to read then. Graduated at 17 and started college at 17. Published in an academic journal and graduated college at 21. Started grad school then got doctorate at 26 and purchased my first home then too.

and I was mildly popular. I'm now the VP of a Dc based non-profit and make crazy money after a childhood marred by poverty.

Very similar story to a point...here -- I started college at 16 and graduated at 20, but you seriously have done better than me in life! Wow.

But feel like our motivation was the same, to escape a bad life. Not sure how that impacts oldest/youngest, etc. when you introduce such a huge driving factor.

Wow. That's so nice. I'm the poster you quoted. I do think that i did well but the poverty part still impacts me - sometimes negatively . But I didn't dwell on that b/c the OP asked about starting school early. I think that b/c I was young and physically small I was seen as smarter than I might have been.

I like that you used the word "escape" b/c I often say "I escaped poverty". Like it was a prison that tried to keep me in. Some truth in that.

and i agree, to be clear, escaping poverty was my motivation.

[Anonymous]

one of the youngest in my class (bday 1 week prior to cut off date)
female
very bright - top college & grad school
good athlete in HS and college even though I've always been petite
very shy - still shy today and I don't think being 1 year older would have changed that

that said, I did "redshirt" my August son for a variety of reasons. different person, different situation.

[Anonymous]

I was always the youngest (summer birthday with summer cutoff, born right before cutoff).
I was doing great academically, never had any problems, top of the class throughout.
However, socially, did not do so well, this started particularly after grade 5 to about grade 8/9. That was not a good time for me.
I was way behind the other girls as far as interests in boys, make-up etc. Just could not relate.
In retrospect, I don't know how much was SES-related also. I was in a very mixed environment (with few students interested in excelling academically) until the later grades (high school), where I developed a pretty solid circle of friends. Then, college and grad school were great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My twin sister and I skipped 3rd grade. We had a late spring birthday so we were always one of the youngest ones. Didn't affect us at all, really. The only issues were driving and turning 21. In terms of driving, we just carpooled with friends and with drinking, there were definitely times we weren't able to join some of our friends at a bar, but we had other friends who weren't going out that night or who weren't into bars, etc.

Did well in school, academically and athletically.

Anyone who goes to college right out of high school and graduates in 4 years will be among the last to drink.

https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d13/tables/dt13_326.10.asp

http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2013/aug/11/ron-johnson/average-college-degree-takes-six-years-us-sen-ron-/

http://business.time.com/2013/01/10/the-myth-of-the-4-year-college-degree/

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/02/education/most-college-students-dont-earn-degree-in-4-years-study-finds.html

https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d13/tables/dt13_104.20.asp

[Anonymous]

I was one of the youngest. I had a late fall birthday and skipped a grade. Socially, I just missed so many clues in MS. I was 17 as a college freshman.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was always the youngest (summer birthday with summer cutoff, born right before cutoff).
I was doing great academically, never had any problems, top of the class throughout.
However, socially, did not do so well, this started particularly after grade 5 to about grade 8/9. That was not a good time for me.
I was way behind the other girls as far as interests in boys, make-up etc. Just could not relate.
In retrospect, I don't know how much was SES-related also. I was in a very mixed environment (with few students interested in excelling academically) until the later grades (high school), where I developed a pretty solid circle of friends. Then, college and grad school were great.

MS is just hard, period, regardless of being the youngest, oldest, or in the middle.