Reply to I’m starting my late July birthday child (boy) in kindergarten on time.

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Good for you! My DD misses the cut-off and could not start K last year. She was bored out of her mind in pre-K. [/quote]

Same. I have two kids with summer birthdays who started on time and one with a November birthday who is endlessly bored in her class. The summer birthday kids are absolutely fine. AAP - all honors, well adjusted, top sports teams, etc. I cannot for the life of me understand why any parent would change the trajectory of their kids based on a few months difference in preschool. It makes absolutely no sense. Kids learn and adapt. What parents perceive as a big deal in kindergarten is forgettable by 7th  grade. Absent a medical disability or child with special needs, I think this redshirting business is helicopter parenting at its worst. Our friends redshirted their spring birthday kid because his writing wasn't perfect in preschool, a skill he could easily pick up in the summer or over a few days at home. And now he's more than 16 months older than his peers in some cases.

Makes no sense. [/quote]

Totally agree. We started our summer birthday kid on time and it has worked out great. She winds up in the middle of the pack on most things and even a bit more advanced in a couple areas where she shines. She is not even the smallest kid in class most years.

I think redshirting is largely done for competitive reasons -- wanting your kid not not simply be middle of the pack but to be THE biggest, most advanced kid in class. That stupid Malcolm Gladwell book made a bunch of people decide that the only way for their kid to succeed is to give them these little edges in age and timing. But what happens is that a few parents do it, and then other parents feel threatened, and then lots of parents do it, and then it is pointless anyway.

Your kid does not need to "win" kindergarten, and it's ok (preferable even) of they aren't always the best at everything. Do people really think that snowplowing their kid's way through school will ultimately benefit them as adults? No. It will keep them from learning resilience and social skills that are necessary to succeed in an interconnected world where you can't always game the system. And if starting your kid "on time" results in some struggles -- you work with them in overcoming them! That's one of the primary goals of parenting and childhood, to figure out how to navigate the world and develop skills that will serve you the rest of your life. These parents are actually shortchanging their kids.[/quote]

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