Why is redshirting so common around here?

[Anonymous]

I visited my son's kindergarten class and they have a birthday board. I just realized that my son's April birthday makes my son one of the youngest kids in his class. There was a huge cluster of summer birthdays and all of them were born in 2008. That means they were all 6 years old when they started kindergarten. It looked as if 1/3 of the class had summer birthdays and were already 6 when they started K. Another 1/3 had fall birthdays and turned 6 in 2014. There were a handful of birthdays in January and February. DS is the 3rd youngest kid in his class with an April birthday. Only 2 other kids had May birthdays.

I am from out of state and I very clearly remember having lots of friends who had December birthdays who were born in the same year as me. DH is a November birthday. He started kindergarten at age 4, college at age 17, etc.

An acquaintance just told me they decided to keep their June birthday child back. Seems so strange to me. You should be 5 when you start kindergarten, not 6.

[Anonymous]

Because there are many insecure parents with enough money to hold their kid out of school for a year and pay for a year of preschool/PreK.

[Anonymous]

My son has a September birthday. He will be in K for only a few weeks before he turns 6. Is that ok with you?

[Anonymous]

I don't think redshirting is significantly more common here as opposed to where you grew up, instead it's as opposed to when you grew up.

When we were kids, it wasn't common, now it is. Ask your friends back home what their K classes are like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son has a September birthday. He will be in K for only a few weeks before he turns 6. Is that ok with you?

My son has a September birthday, and will be 5 all year. I hope it's okay with you for your son to be a year older than kids who go on time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son has a September birthday. He will be in K for only a few weeks before he turns 6. Is that ok with you?

My son has a September birthday, and will be 5 all year. I hope it's okay with you for your son to be a year older than kids who go on time.

Is it a September 1st cut off (it is in our school)? Your son won't make the Sept. 1st cut-off, PP as the last birthdate accepted in August 31st.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son has a September birthday. He will be in K for only a few weeks before he turns 6. Is that ok with you?

My son has a September birthday, and will be 5 all year. I hope it's okay with you for your son to be a year older than kids who go on time.

He will be going on time. Cutoff in MCPS is September 1.

[Anonymous]

I think it is common is any affluent area. The belief is that it gives boys an edge in academics, social skills and athletics. It was the same where I grew up (Lake Forest, Illinois).

[Anonymous]

Its not that common at our upper MoCo school. My son has early august bday and there are 3 kids younger. Of the 4 summer birthday boys 3 are struggling (mostly with behavior) and at least 2 have been labelled as having ADHD. If I had it to do over I would hold my son back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it is common is any affluent area. The belief is that it gives boys an edge in academics, social skills and athletics. It was the same where I grew up (Lake Forest, Illinois).

+1 Beverly Hills born and raised - it was the same here in my parent's generation. My father redshirted for sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is common is any affluent area. The belief is that it gives boys an edge in academics, social skills and athletics. It was the same where I grew up (Lake Forest, Illinois).

+1 Beverly Hills born and raised - it was the same here in my parent's generation. My father redshirted for sports.

Just look at "Beverly Hills, 90210" - most of them were in their 30's in high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son has a September birthday. He will be in K for only a few weeks before he turns 6. Is that ok with you?

My son has a September birthday, and will be 5 all year. I hope it's okay with you for your son to be a year older than kids who go on time.

He will be going on time. Cutoff in MCPS is September 1.

We are in Virginia.

[Anonymous]

I went to K at 4 yo, but it sounds like K is very different now than when I went. It was only a half day and we even had nap/quiet time during that half day.

[Anonymous]

Older person posting here. My older brother was an early reader so they put him a year "ahead" (December birthday--he could have been either the oldest or the youngest in his DC Public School class.) My mom worked, so I think she was happy to have him go early. It really was difficult for him socially and athletically, even though he could keep up academically with no problem. But he was quite unhappy. When my younger brother, also a December birthday, came up, there was no question: they held him back. He was a superstar athletically. Ironically, he struggled academically so they were glad he was a year "behind" in that sense.
Every child is different. I red-shirted my small daughter because she is so tiny and she has special needs (learning disabled). She has many friends and enjoys being the oldest.
It's a shame that we spend so much time investing in competitive, comparative, and second-guessing activities, but that's human nature.

[Anonymous]

I grew up out of state too and the Oct/Nov/Dec birthdays were after the cut-off. My husband is born in November and started school late (turned 6 a few months after starting K) and I always thought that was normal. I have a late July birthday and it was about 50-50 if the July/Aug/Sept kids would start right away or wait a year. And this was in the 80s in a very middle class area. So it's not a new thing at all imo.