Our son turns 5 on October 4th, and we seriously considered redshirting him. There are countless studies that show that older kids do better academically. However, as tempted as we were to redshirt, we've ultimately decided that we're going to send him to Kindergarten this fall. Redshirting is cheating, and sometimes you have to give up what you desire in order to do what's right. It simply wouldn't be fair to kids born in 2016 if they had to compete with someone born in 2015. Even though he won't do as well in school as he would if we wait a year, my S/O and I have decided that we'd much rather our son do okay playing by the rules than excel by cheating.

We did for a better sibling relationship and better school experience. It’s been very good 6 years later. I do worry though about how it is affecting testing. Kids who aren’t redshirted at least in the first three years can seem much further behind which skews their actual abilities. I think that’s unfair and they should test the first six years of school on growth rather than achievement. Save achievement for middle and high school.

Anonymous wrote:We redshirted because we didn't have a choice. DS was born on October 3rd, but because of a ridiculously early cut-off where we live(5 by September 30th), we were forced to wait until he was almost 6 to send him. He's now in 4th grade, reading at a 7th grade level, and is ridiculously bored.

My son was born on October 5th and we have a sept 1st cutoff. He is going to be short (He is 5''4 at 14) so I am glad we didn't push ahead somehow.

Anonymous wrote:My thinking is, if it's possible to give them an edge (socially, academically, physically) why wouldn't you??

I do everything I can to give my kids a leg up on the competition.

Putting your year older kids in a class is not a leg up. They're not really winning at anything against peers their own age.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To give her an advantage socially and academically, which it absolutely did.

+1 It is obviously advantageous for the child. There are no downsides to being at home and doing preschool a few days week for one more year.

Actually there are. You are artificially making your kid smarter when they are just older. It’s usually the lazy parents who want the school to parent their kids.

Oh dear, you seem confused. I'm lazy because I wanted my kids at home with me for an extra year? Huh, go figure.

You are too lazy to get them prepared. You should teach them basic skills, including reading and writing at home. Its easier to wait a year, not teach them and they are older so they will pick it up quicker.

Kids are not immature at 4-5. They have only been on earth 4-5 years and don't have the life experiences. School/K. is a life experience they need.

Okay, sweetie. If you believe staying at home puts them at a deficit then there is nothing I can do about it and, frankly, your opinion about the matter doesn't mean a thing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know a few people back their tall, mature, academically and athletically gifted 5 year olds with birthdays months before the cut off. WHY?
I know one who made the decision when her kid was one (July birthday)

Is it just so your kid has advantages socially and athletically and breezes through?

I was hoping this would give them an edge over their peers.

Based on my own experience, this in only temporary. I have a late September birthday and my parents held me back because they wanted me and my brother, who's 20 months younger than me, to be closer together in school(a grade apart). Being the oldest definitely gave me an edge at first, and I breezed through elementary, middle, and high school. It was in college, however, that I learned artificial advantages can only take you so far. I finally had to put in work in order to succeed in college, and I think I know why. Age differences matter less as you get older. The reason being a year older gave me an advantage before college is because a year is HUGE when you're a kid. However, it is not so significant when you're an adult. A 19-year-old simply doesn't have the same advantage over an 18-year-old that a 9-year-old has over an 8-year-old. In fact, I'd go as far as to say it was even harder for me, as I had never really learned how to study, something most people learn to do well before college.

We redshirted because we didn't have a choice. DS was born on October 3rd, but because of a ridiculously early cut-off where we live(5 by September 30th), we were forced to wait until he was almost 6 to send him. He's now in 4th grade, reading at a 7th grade level, and is ridiculously bored.

Anonymous wrote:I know a few people back their tall, mature, academically and athletically gifted 5 year olds with birthdays months before the cut off. WHY?
I know one who made the decision when her kid was one (July birthday)

Is it just so your kid has advantages socially and athletically and breezes through?

I was hoping this would give them an edge over their peers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My thinking is, if it's possible to give them an edge (socially, academically, physically) why wouldn't you??

I do everything I can to give my kids a leg up on the competition.

Because they will hope up with out grit and self determination. We can't simply give our kids a leg up. They actually have to use their legs and learn how to run their own race

LOLOLOL

Tell that to the truly elite people of the world.

The people in this thread are so naive.

Understatement of the century.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To give her an advantage socially and academically, which it absolutely did.

+1 It is obviously advantageous for the child. There are no downsides to being at home and doing preschool a few days week for one more year.

Yes. If a family can afford to do it, it can only benefit a child to be in the home for an extra year with parents and siblings and homeschooling.

No but really, explain yourself. You just keep saying you don’t get it but really it’s just an excuse for you to personally do nothing with yourself besides argue with people about how you’re right. It’s sad.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My thinking is, if it's possible to give them an edge (socially, academically, physically) why wouldn't you??

I do everything I can to give my kids a leg up on the competition.

Because they will hope up with out grit and self determination. We can't simply give our kids a leg up. They actually have to use their legs and learn how to run their own race

LOLOLOL

Tell that to the truly elite people of the world.

The people in this thread are so naive.

Yes. Case in point: the lady who boasts about how her kids will develop grit by being the youngest, while she simultaneously treats disadvantaged people as entertainment for her toddlers. It's disgusting.

Boasting about developing grit? No my kids have it easy enough being in the grade they are supposed to be. Don’t put words in my mouth. Two, I have volunteered by making lunches in a commercial kitchen for the homeless for the last decade. A lot of children come and assist in the ways they are allowed to help. There are a few tasks they can do. Am I supposed to stop because I had kids? It’s not entertainment for our family. It’s our values. Hey someone has to be the one to volunteer their time and give their money. That’s fine if it’s not you but you probably aren’t in a position to be mocking people that do think it’s important.

Just stop. You don't get it, and your kids will always think they are better than. Oh well. Too bad.

Anonymous wrote:This is a question that next to nobody on here will be able to answer, as redshirting is so extraordinarily rare. The only kids who are considered for redshirting are kids born between October and December, and even of those kids, less than 1 percent are redshirted. So you're really looking for a needle in a haystack. However, luckily for you, I happen to be one of the few people in the country who was redshirted, and I can relay my parents reasoning to you. My birthday's in the first week of October and wasn't started in K until I was almost 6. The reason my parents have given for doing this is because I have autism. Seeing as how kids with autism usually have above average intelligence, this explanation has always seemed ridiculous to me. I think my parents are the only world who have used this logic. I'd imagine most parents of autistic kids would be more likely to push their kids to start early rather than late, due to their high IQ's.

Depends. Where I live it's very common. More than half of parents with boys 3-4 months before the cut off red shirt.

This is a question that next to nobody on here will be able to answer, as redshirting is so extraordinarily rare. The only kids who are considered for redshirting are kids born between October and December, and even of those kids, less than 1 percent are redshirted. So you're really looking for a needle in a haystack. However, luckily for you, I happen to be one of the few people in the country who was redshirted, and I can relay my parents reasoning to you. My birthday's in the first week of October and wasn't started in K until I was almost 6. The reason my parents have given for doing this is because I have autism. Seeing as how kids with autism usually have above average intelligence, this explanation has always seemed ridiculous to me. I think my parents are the only world who have used this logic. I'd imagine most parents of autistic kids would be more likely to push their kids to start early rather than late, due to their high IQ's.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To give her an advantage socially and academically, which it absolutely did.

+1 It is obviously advantageous for the child. There are no downsides to being at home and doing preschool a few days week for one more year.

Actually there are. You are artificially making your kid smarter when they are just older. It’s usually the lazy parents who want the school to parent their kids.

Oh dear, you seem confused. I'm lazy because I wanted my kids at home with me for an extra year? Huh, go figure.

You are too lazy to get them prepared. You should teach them basic skills, including reading and writing at home. Its easier to wait a year, not teach them and they are older so they will pick it up quicker.

Kids are not immature at 4-5. They have only been on earth 4-5 years and don't have the life experiences. School/K. is a life experience they need.