I agree. First the kids get held back a year. Then they do a gap year between high school and college. Then they do a year where they travel or do an internship where they don't make much money to move up or they go onto grad school. It all adds up. Just having one of those scenarios doesn't necessarily change things, but when you're constantly delaying the next move up in your life it does.

Are you saying that starting Kindergarten one year late is the reason they were getting out of school later and putting off pregnancy? I find it hard to believe that the one extra year made that much of a difference. I definitely agree with your premise - that people are putting off children longer but I really don't think it has anything to do with redshirting.

Yes, I am the PP that made the argument about graduating college early to jumpstart your career. While I agree that a year probably doesn't mean much in the scheme of things, it seems equally ridiculous in the long run to delay kindergarten by a year to provide advantages Malcolm Gladwell's outliers-style as it does to skip people ahead only for the sake of jumpstarting their career. I'd almost say that being able to graduate college early provides even more advantages, because you feel less of a squeeze to get your adult life going if you are a year or two ahead given how many women in their late 20s and 30s worry about their biological clock. Keep in mind that any academic advantage due to redshirting has been shown to even out by 8th grade, anyway.

I find it ironic that people complain about how young people are delaying their careers, marriage, moving out of their parents house, etc. while at the same time parents are purposefully holding kids back at many different levels. People start their kids off in kindergarden a year late, encourage gap years between high school and college, and so on and so forth. While on an individual basis, it might be beneficial for a small minority of children to start kindergarden late, the trend to hold kids back with birthdays as early as April seems to be ridiculous. Children have a lot more resilience than people think, and having a year of struggle because you are slightly developmentally behind a few peers is probably not going to cause lasting damage.

Anonymous wrote:She has a point though. At least a third of my friends have had trouble getting pregnant because they are having children later in life due to waiting till getting out of school and getting established in a career to have some money to afford children.

Are you saying that starting Kindergarten one year late is the reason they were getting out of school later and putting off pregnancy? I find it hard to believe that the one extra year made that much of a difference. I definitely agree with your premise - that people are putting off children longer but I really don't think it has anything to do with redshirting.

Anonymous wrote:

There is a certain advantage to this "reverse redshirting" if the child is truly gifted and mature, especially for girls. For example, if you are 16 when you go to college, 20 when you graduate and go go to medical school right off the bat, you might be done with your residency by 27 instead of 29-30. Or if you get a PhD, you might be 25 instead of 27. Or you might graduate law school at 23, etc. Just a thought...

or you might be pregnant or on drugs at 14............

Seriously? The kids I knew who started school early or skipped a grade were not the ones at risk for that. The kids who were held back and turning 16 their freshman year of high school? Definitely, but I highly doubt there's a causation story here.

She has a point though. At least a third of my friends have had trouble getting pregnant because they are having children later in life due to waiting till getting out of school and getting established in a career to have some money to afford children.

There is a certain advantage to this "reverse redshirting" if the child is truly gifted and mature, especially for girls. For example, if you are 16 when you go to college, 20 when you graduate and go go to medical school right off the bat, you might be done with your residency by 27 instead of 29-30. Or if you get a PhD, you might be 25 instead of 27. Or you might graduate law school at 23, etc. Just a thought...

or you might be pregnant or on drugs at 14............

There is a certain advantage to this "reverse redshirting" if the child is truly gifted and mature, especially for girls. For example, if you are 16 when you go to college, 20 when you graduate and go go to medical school right off the bat, you might be done with your residency by 27 instead of 29-30. Or if you get a PhD, you might be 25 instead of 27. Or you might graduate law school at 23, etc. Just a thought...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you chose your birth months?? I guess you can try for a certain time of year - but there is no certainty. At least we found that to be the case.

I got knocked up on the first try each time. I did the math before. I guess it usually doesn't work that way for most.

Yup - for us we were shooting for a March date. First weekend off the pill and boom preggs! DD was a little early so it wound up being a Feb birthdate.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you in Connecticut?

I have a cousin who lives in Connecticut. Remarkably 4 of her 5 brainiac children have January birthdays. Her one "normal" kid was born in November. Drives my cousin crazy.

Why does that drive her crazy ??

I would assume it's because the first 4 children are "brainiacs" solely because they are oldest in the class, and the last is labelled "normal" solely because he is one of the youngest in the class. It's the labelling. I imagine that the "brainiacs" get more support, more enrichment, and she wants the same for her younger child, but can't get it because he is only "normal."

Anonymous wrote:I can't take it. FEWER MONTHS.

Thank you. It's silly but it was bugging me too.

Anonymous wrote:How do you chose your birth months?? I guess you can try for a certain time of year - but there is no certainty. At least we found that to be the case.

I got knocked up on the first try each time. I did the math before. I guess it usually doesn't work that way for most.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The opposite of redshirting is early entry, not trying to have your children at the end of the school eligibility year because day care is expensive.

She ended up being a SAHM when she had the first one.
She just didn't want to have to parent longer than necessary.

Huh. Both my kids are in elementary school. I guess I'm done being a parent now?

I know you are ring sarcastic, but I think that sadly, some parents do feel like that. They do the basics and that's a wrap.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was in a school system like this with a December birthday. It was TERRIBLE always being the youngest. To compound matters, I was advanced and ended up skipping a grade. I graduated at 16. No 16-year-old should be allowed to go to college.

?

I'm sorry that it was terrible for you being the youngest, but I don't think that you represent everybody.

And I graduated from high school at 16, and nothing bad happened, as far as I know.

NP here. I also graduated at 16 and am 39 now. I turned out pretty well . Sorry you had such a bad experience.

How do you chose your birth months?? I guess you can try for a certain time of year - but there is no certainty. At least we found that to be the case.

Hmmm... and I chose my kid's birthday months based on the seasons. I sweltered at so many of my nephews outdoor August bday parties---summer months are my least favorite in DC. I also wanted them to be able to celebrate their bday months in school. Fall and spring are my two favorite seasons.

I have a September kid and an April kid. The weather has always been fabulous for their parties--ha!

To each his own.

p.s. I kept my September kid back so I get an extra year of him in the house before he leaves for college. I never thought of it that way, btw.