Since this is anonymous, why did you REALLY redshirt your kid?

[Anonymous]

I redshirted to give my kid an advantage academically and physically, and to make it socially easier since it's much easier to be among the oldest in a group than to be the youngest. Let some other kid deal with always being the shortest and the slowest.

That's it. It's the same reason anyone redshirts. I don't understand wha the debate even is. People want what is best for their kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because her prek-8 pulled me aside in January of prek and said she would not be ready for Kindergarten. We argued for 2 months but I finally relented because my older DD also at the school and I wanted them to be able to stay somewhere relatively nice. She is turning 10 this year in 3rd grade with a January bday. DD was definitely not ready for kindergarten but now her classmates still want to do little kid stuff and she’s bored because she is very smart and not challenged.

Why would you agree to this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I redshirted to give my kid an advantage academically and physically, and to make it socially easier since it's much easier to be among the oldest in a group than to be the youngest. Let some other kid deal with always being the shortest and the slowest.

That's it. It's the same reason anyone redshirts. I don't understand wha the debate even is. People want what is best for their kid.

Because it’s not really a true advantage and socially they should be with peers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:THE SCHOOL CUTOFF DATE IS SEPTEMBER, NOT JANUARY.

Please, please, PLEASE get this through your thick, crazy skull.

Have you any idea how many populated New York is? It may only make up 2 percent of the country state-wise, but it makes up way more than that population-wise.

It's a drop in the bucket as far as percentage of school aged children. So, no, the vast majority don't need to care about it's late, out of the norm, cut off date. Eventually it will catch up to everyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I redshirted to give my kid an advantage academically and physically, and to make it socially easier since it's much easier to be among the oldest in a group than to be the youngest. Let some other kid deal with always being the shortest and the slowest.

That's it. It's the same reason anyone redshirts. I don't understand wha the debate even is. People want what is best for their kid.

Because it’s not really a true advantage and socially they should be with peers.

If people truly believed that there would be no debate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because her prek-8 pulled me aside in January of prek and said she would not be ready for Kindergarten. We argued for 2 months but I finally relented because my older DD also at the school and I wanted them to be able to stay somewhere relatively nice. She is turning 10 this year in 3rd grade with a January bday. DD was definitely not ready for kindergarten but now her classmates still want to do little kid stuff and she’s bored because she is very smart and not challenged.

Why would you agree to this?

Because my older daughter wasn’t going to be able to get into a different school and I didn’t want to switch schools for both of them.

[Anonymous]

Redshirted September birthday twins. they were born earlier--due date was actually mid October.

Knew they would likely end up in private high schools (which have Sept 1 cut offs) and they did. They're now both around the 60th percentile for age. There are a ton of summer birthdays-it's striking. Also kids who are reclassed for sports. those kids do an entire grade (8th or 9th) twice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Redshirted September birthday twins. they were born earlier--due date was actually mid October.

Knew they would likely end up in private high schools (which have Sept 1 cut offs) and they did. They're now both around the 60th percentile for age. There are a ton of summer birthdays-it's striking. Also kids who are reclassed for sports. those kids do an entire grade (8th or 9th) twice.

What I meant by 60% for age--
as a September birthday who were held back they're older than roughly 60% of their classmates. younger than about 40%.
This is a top DC private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I redshirted to give my kid an advantage academically and physically, and to make it socially easier since it's much easier to be among the oldest in a group than to be the youngest. Let some other kid deal with always being the shortest and the slowest.

That's it. It's the same reason anyone redshirts. I don't understand wha the debate even is. People want what is best for their kid.

Because it’s not really a true advantage and socially they should be with peers.

If people truly believed that there would be no debate.

The research on the subject indicates that it does provide a short-term advantage but overall is a negative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I redshirted to give my kid an advantage academically and physically, and to make it socially easier since it's much easier to be among the oldest in a group than to be the youngest. Let some other kid deal with always being the shortest and the slowest.

That's it. It's the same reason anyone redshirts. I don't understand wha the debate even is. People want what is best for their kid.

Because it’s not really a true advantage and socially they should be with peers.

If people truly believed that there would be no debate.

The research on the subject indicates that it does provide a short-term advantage but overall is a negative.

That's not true. I have good reason to believe that I am living a much happier life than I would be if I hadn't been redshirted. Growing up, I thought I wanted to get married and have children like most people. However, because I was redshirted, I finished my schooling a year later, and thus, started my career a year later, and by the time I became financially stable enough to support a family, I realized that I would be much happier being single and childless. Had I not been redshirted, I may very well have had children before coming to the realization that I didn't want any, by which time it would've been too late.

[Anonymous]

My nephew was held back an extra year of kindergarten. BIL literally said "This will help him be the cool kid because he'll be older and taller." Nephew never became the cool kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I redshirted to give my kid an advantage academically and physically, and to make it socially easier since it's much easier to be among the oldest in a group than to be the youngest. Let some other kid deal with always being the shortest and the slowest.

That's it. It's the same reason anyone redshirts. I don't understand wha the debate even is. People want what is best for their kid.

Because it’s not really a true advantage and socially they should be with peers.

If people truly believed that there would be no debate.

The research on the subject indicates that it does provide a short-term advantage but overall is a negative.

That's not true. I have good reason to believe that I am living a much happier life than I would be if I hadn't been redshirted. Growing up, I thought I wanted to get married and have children like most people. However, because I was redshirted, I finished my schooling a year later, and thus, started my career a year later, and by the time I became financially stable enough to support a family, I realized that I would be much happier being single and childless. Had I not been redshirted, I may very well have had children before coming to the realization that I didn't want any, by which time it would've been too late.

The stories people tell themselves

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I redshirted to give my kid an advantage academically and physically, and to make it socially easier since it's much easier to be among the oldest in a group than to be the youngest. Let some other kid deal with always being the shortest and the slowest.

That's it. It's the same reason anyone redshirts. I don't understand wha the debate even is. People want what is best for their kid.

Because it’s not really a true advantage and socially they should be with peers.

If people truly believed that there would be no debate.

The research on the subject indicates that it does provide a short-term advantage but overall is a negative.

That's not true. I have good reason to believe that I am living a much happier life than I would be if I hadn't been redshirted. Growing up, I thought I wanted to get married and have children like most people. However, because I was redshirted, I finished my schooling a year later, and thus, started my career a year later, and by the time I became financially stable enough to support a family, I realized that I would be much happier being single and childless. Had I not been redshirted, I may very well have had children before coming to the realization that I didn't want any, by which time it would've been too late.

Huh. Usually it’s the anti-redshirters who are super weird on DCUM but this time we have a super weird redshirter. Interesting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My nephew was held back an extra year of kindergarten. BIL literally said "This will help him be the cool kid because he'll be older and taller." Nephew never became the cool kid.

But he was cooler relative to his classmates than he would've been had he not been held back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I redshirted to give my kid an advantage academically and physically, and to make it socially easier since it's much easier to be among the oldest in a group than to be the youngest. Let some other kid deal with always being the shortest and the slowest.

That's it. It's the same reason anyone redshirts. I don't understand wha the debate even is. People want what is best for their kid.

Because it’s not really a true advantage and socially they should be with peers.

If people truly believed that there would be no debate.

The research on the subject indicates that it does provide a short-term advantage but overall is a negative.

That's not true. I have good reason to believe that I am living a much happier life than I would be if I hadn't been redshirted. Growing up, I thought I wanted to get married and have children like most people. However, because I was redshirted, I finished my schooling a year later, and thus, started my career a year later, and by the time I became financially stable enough to support a family, I realized that I would be much happier being single and childless. Had I not been redshirted, I may very well have had children before coming to the realization that I didn't want any, by which time it would've been too late.

It is true. Younger kids, for their grades, consistently go on to achieve more, whereas red-shirts advantage tends to wane by 9 or 10. There's a lot written on the subject, but overall it seems like these parents are doing their child a disseverice.