Why is redshirting so common around here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't people generally graduate college at 21?? So the red-shirted kids will be 22, not 23??

No 22. Start first grade at six and add 12 years of school and four years of college. That's 22.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't people generally graduate college at 21?? So the red-shirted kids will be 22, not 23??

Um, no. 18+4 doesn't equal 21.

[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?

Same here. Preemie twins born mid sept who should have been born mid Oct. let me know if it's OK that they start kindergarten and turn 6 right away.

Ass.

Hey, same here for my singleton! Preemie born mid September instead of in mid-October. She will turn 6 just a few weeks after starting K in Montgomery County where the cutoff is 9/1. I certainly am not going to push for the early entrance exam for her. I once tried to explain this on a similar thread and got bashed for it. People can be rotten when it comes to this topic.

I just realized it looks like I signed my name as "Ass"!

Anyway, yeah, I get that some parents have a decision to make if their jurisdiction has an option to "test in" for K if you turn 5 before, say, October 31. And some, few though, kids are emotionally developed enough to do that. I think having the cutoff date, the range, and some sort of test option available a good system. But anybody who just wants to use the cutoff date is perfectly fine. My older DD has a friend born in late August. She's the youngest in her class. My DD was born in June, so is one of the youngest. But there was never any reason to delay her entry to K.

Preemies are just so different. Wow do they love to sleep...still, at 18 mos!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't people generally graduate college at 21?? So the red-shirted kids will be 22, not 23??

Um, no. 18+4 doesn't equal 21.

Weird - most people I knew were 21 when graduating except for a handful of people from states with early age cut offs. I didn't even turn 21 until my senior year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

lol

+1 LOL

[Anonymous]

We are choosing to hold our late August son until he is 6 years old to start K. Our daughter is starting as a 5 year old with a January birthday and we have another son with a March birthday. Holding our middle son until he is a fresh 6 year old allows him to be a grade above his brother. It's better all around for OUR FAMILY. There is no athletic motivation behind it, more a closeness for the brothers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is redshirting so common around here? Because slowly but surely American parents are picking up on the fact that keeping young children (under age 7) in a more playful, relaxed, nurturing environment longer will benefit them in the long run much more than sending them off into academic learning before their bodies, minds and souls are really ready for it.

+1000

-10000 keep telling yourself that your child is better. My child is in an academic preschool and loves it. He's thriving and learning the necessary skills to be prepared for K. He can play and relax at home. He is in several activities and guess what... he still has plenty of time for homework, workbooks, and playing.

It has nothing to do with any child being "better" than any other. It's about what's best for the development of young children and academics are not what's best for children under 7. There's plenty of research about what young children really need for proper brain development (It's movement, not academics which require the exact opposite of movement to be acquired. Namely sitting still for prolonged periods of time).

The fact that your child is happy (or seems happy) right now does not mean there won't be problems later. The fact that your child is happy right now also doesn't mean that he/she couldn't be a ton happier if you took the academics away or at least lessened the load which is ridiculous for preschool. Homework and workbooks? Really? Because human beings don't have to work enough already later in life right? We have to take children's childhoods away from them as early as possible, too? Only makes sense to people whose main interest in life is the amount of money their children will eventually earn. But you will keep telling yourself different anyway.

[Anonymous]

There is always going to be a child that is the youngest - possibly my July baby when he starts K having just turned 5 and I wouldn't be surprised if there are kids that turned 6 over the summer in the same class because the parents s decided to red shirt, which I dont love. Unless there are developmental delays to hold the child back a year, I don't understand why a school would allow the parents to "decide" not to send their kid to the appropriate grade, within the age cut off. So what if your child is the youngest? But by holding your child back you are guaranteeing that they will be a full year older than other kids that are SUPPOSED to be in that grade, which seems unfair to both them and the younger children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't people generally graduate college at 21?? So the red-shirted kids will be 22, not 23??

Um, no. 18+4 doesn't equal 21.

Weird - most people I knew were 21 when graduating except for a handful of people from states with early age cut offs. I didn't even turn 21 until my senior year.

Yes, Depending on the school cut off date, you might have a few 21 year olds.

FWIW, I have a May birthday and actually finished classes at 20, turned 21 a week before walking in my graduation. I skipped K, though, so I was a year ahead.

Many states are moving their cutoffs to earlier, though. Very few have the December cutoff anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

hahaha!

OP, what school/town? I have this concern with my mid-August child. I would like to start her on time but don't want her to be the youngest by months if not a year. So annoying I even have to think about this.

Just curious why this is so concerning (absent something specific related to your DD)? I have a late December birthday, and I was one of the youngest, maybe the youngest, in my class. I was more than a year younger than some of my classmates. I'm also really petite, so I was probably noticeably smaller than other kids when I was in elementary school.

And it just didn't matter. I did well in school, had lots of friends (my BFF had a December birthday and was a year older, actually), and played sports. I just don't think these things matter as much as we worry that they do. Every kid is going to have their own struggles in school...by trying to game systems you're just teaching them that it's okay to shy from a challenge.

FWIW, DD is January-born so we really don't have an option. I used to worry about her being bored as the oldest in her class...but now I starting to think she might not be.

Because I started at 4 (late Oct. bday; was reading chapter books), was also very petite, and had the opposite social/emotional experience as you, which had implications for most of my schooling since I lived in the same town my whole life. Confirmation bias, PP: just because this didn't happen to you personally doesn't make your experience universal. Just as my experience is not universal, but it is certainly something I'll take into account when I start DD.

Wait, you had a difficult time being the petite youngest, and yet you're annoyed that parents of children who would be like you were redshirted their children, because you want their kids to be the petite youngest rather than your own? Am I understanding you correctly?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

hahaha!

OP, what school/town? I have this concern with my mid-August child. I would like to start her on time but don't want her to be the youngest by months if not a year. So annoying I even have to think about this.

Just curious why this is so concerning (absent something specific related to your DD)? I have a late December birthday, and I was one of the youngest, maybe the youngest, in my class. I was more than a year younger than some of my classmates. I'm also really petite, so I was probably noticeably smaller than other kids when I was in elementary school.

And it just didn't matter. I did well in school, had lots of friends (my BFF had a December birthday and was a year older, actually), and played sports. I just don't think these things matter as much as we worry that they do. Every kid is going to have their own struggles in school...by trying to game systems you're just teaching them that it's okay to shy from a challenge.

FWIW, DD is January-born so we really don't have an option. I used to worry about her being bored as the oldest in her class...but now I starting to think she might not be.

Because I started at 4 (late Oct. bday; was reading chapter books), was also very petite, and had the opposite social/emotional experience as you, which had implications for most of my schooling since I lived in the same town my whole life. Confirmation bias, PP: just because this didn't happen to you personally doesn't make your experience universal. Just as my experience is not universal, but it is certainly something I'll take into account when I start DD.

Wait, you had a difficult time being the petite youngest, and yet you're annoyed that parents of children who would be like you were redshirted their children, because you want their kids to be the petite youngest rather than your own? Am I understanding you correctly?

No, I'm afraid you aren't. I think you missed a few key points, namely that I - not DD - was entered at 4. Not 5. DD will be 5, but barely. I plan to start her on time, but don't like the fact that people whose children are already older than her will get an EXTRA year on top of that and she'll be in a class with kids who are over a year older than her. That, to me, is inappropriate and too much of an age range for a grade. It forces the rest of us to put our kids in a potentially bad situation just for doing the obvious right thing - starting at 5 - or considering a faulty second option - starting them at barely 6 so they can hold their own in K with a bunch of almost-7-year-olds. The creep is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

hahaha!

OP, what school/town? I have this concern with my mid-August child. I would like to start her on time but don't want her to be the youngest by months if not a year. So annoying I even have to think about this.

Just curious why this is so concerning (absent something specific related to your DD)? I have a late December birthday, and I was one of the youngest, maybe the youngest, in my class. I was more than a year younger than some of my classmates. I'm also really petite, so I was probably noticeably smaller than other kids when I was in elementary school.

And it just didn't matter. I did well in school, had lots of friends (my BFF had a December birthday and was a year older, actually), and played sports. I just don't think these things matter as much as we worry that they do. Every kid is going to have their own struggles in school...by trying to game systems you're just teaching them that it's okay to shy from a challenge.

FWIW, DD is January-born so we really don't have an option. I used to worry about her being bored as the oldest in her class...but now I starting to think she might not be.

Because I started at 4 (late Oct. bday; was reading chapter books), was also very petite, and had the opposite social/emotional experience as you, which had implications for most of my schooling since I lived in the same town my whole life. Confirmation bias, PP: just because this didn't happen to you personally doesn't make your experience universal. Just as my experience is not universal, but it is certainly something I'll take into account when I start DD.

Wait, you had a difficult time being the petite youngest, and yet you're annoyed that parents of children who would be like you were redshirted their children, because you want their kids to be the petite youngest rather than your own? Am I understanding you correctly?

No, I'm afraid you aren't. I think you missed a few key points, namely that I - not DD - was entered at 4. Not 5. DD will be 5, but barely. I plan to start her on time, but don't like the fact that people whose children are already older than her will get an EXTRA year on top of that and she'll be in a class with kids who are over a year older than her. That, to me, is inappropriate and too much of an age range for a grade. It forces the rest of us to put our kids in a potentially bad situation just for doing the obvious right thing - starting at 5 - or considering a faulty second option - starting them at barely 6 so they can hold their own in K with a bunch of almost-7-year-olds. The creep is ridiculous.

No, I understood you correctly. Unbelievable.

[Anonymous]

My son has a September birthday and we're starting him on time. He will turn 5 right after he starts kindergarten. Someone has to be the youngest. Redshirting absent any compelling special need is ridiculous and insecure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

hahaha!

OP, what school/town? I have this concern with my mid-August child. I would like to start her on time but don't want her to be the youngest by months if not a year. So annoying I even have to think about this.

Just curious why this is so concerning (absent something specific related to your DD)? I have a late December birthday, and I was one of the youngest, maybe the youngest, in my class. I was more than a year younger than some of my classmates. I'm also really petite, so I was probably noticeably smaller than other kids when I was in elementary school.

And it just didn't matter. I did well in school, had lots of friends (my BFF had a December birthday and was a year older, actually), and played sports. I just don't think these things matter as much as we worry that they do. Every kid is going to have their own struggles in school...by trying to game systems you're just teaching them that it's okay to shy from a challenge.

FWIW, DD is January-born so we really don't have an option. I used to worry about her being bored as the oldest in her class...but now I starting to think she might not be.

Because I started at 4 (late Oct. bday; was reading chapter books), was also very petite, and had the opposite social/emotional experience as you, which had implications for most of my schooling since I lived in the same town my whole life. Confirmation bias, PP: just because this didn't happen to you personally doesn't make your experience universal. Just as my experience is not universal, but it is certainly something I'll take into account when I start DD.

Wait, you had a difficult time being the petite youngest, and yet you're annoyed that parents of children who would be like you were redshirted their children, because you want their kids to be the petite youngest rather than your own? Am I understanding you correctly?

No, I'm afraid you aren't. I think you missed a few key points, namely that I - not DD - was entered at 4. Not 5. DD will be 5, but barely. I plan to start her on time, but don't like the fact that people whose children are already older than her will get an EXTRA year on top of that and she'll be in a class with kids who are over a year older than her. That, to me, is inappropriate and too much of an age range for a grade. It forces the rest of us to put our kids in a potentially bad situation just for doing the obvious right thing - starting at 5 - or considering a faulty second option - starting them at barely 6 so they can hold their own in K with a bunch of almost-7-year-olds. The creep is ridiculous.

No, I understood you correctly. Unbelievable.

Nope, you still don't. Unbelievable. I see you're a redshirter with a 7 y.o. in K. Also unbelievable.

[Anonymous]

My daughter has a late August birthday. We didn't even consider holding her back. She'd be bored to death.

If your child doesn't have delays there is no reason to do this.