Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Before you redshirt, just remember that you will have a year of parenting an adult in the future.

So many of my friends who redshirted their boys had huge struggles once they reached 18 and still had another year of HS left.

Lots of "you can't make me, I'm 18" and fighting.

And if you don’t redshirt a late August birthday, you’ll most likely be dropping off a 17 year old, non-adult to college, since many colleges start mid-August. There are downsides to that as well.

No, they would be turning 18.

If move-in day is August 15 and your DC turns 18 on August 31, they will be 17 when you drop them off at college. Yes, they turn 18 quickly but you’re dropping off a kid who is not yet a legal adult.

You wouldn’t send your child to college because of the two weeks of being 17? Good Lord!

What's the rush?

Rushing what? The child wasn’t pushed forward. 18 is not an unusual age to attend college.

"Good Lord!" Why so dramatic? If parents want to give their children a year to mature what's it to you?

What’s it to you? Someone asked why the rush. Seemingly, you did.

We didn't redshirt our July 30th boy. He is in 8th grade now.

Athletically I am sure he wishes we had reshirted him as he is small for his age anyway. Though still very athletic so he is doing fine.

But academically he is doing great and honestly it would have felt very weird to have him in K as a 6yo. He was in Montessori and already pretty advanced.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Before you redshirt, just remember that you will have a year of parenting an adult in the future.

So many of my friends who redshirted their boys had huge struggles once they reached 18 and still had another year of HS left.

Lots of "you can't make me, I'm 18" and fighting.

And if you don’t redshirt a late August birthday, you’ll most likely be dropping off a 17 year old, non-adult to college, since many colleges start mid-August. There are downsides to that as well.

Let's see... they'll be 17 for maybe 2 weeks of the school year starting college vs an entire year of trying to parent an adult. That's a no-brainer.

I get that you will definitely struggle with this aspect of parenting, but most people parenting high school seniors do not magically start struggling when the child turns 18. Most kids turn 18 sometime during their senior year. It’s just not a big issue outside of your head.

Depending on the school, you won’t have much of a choice. Many of them redshirt kids back to may for K entry.

I redshirted my late august girl and no regrets. A boy….for sure

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Before you redshirt, just remember that you will have a year of parenting an adult in the future.

So many of my friends who redshirted their boys had huge struggles once they reached 18 and still had another year of HS left.

Lots of "you can't make me, I'm 18" and fighting.

And if you don’t redshirt a late August birthday, you’ll most likely be dropping off a 17 year old, non-adult to college, since many colleges start mid-August. There are downsides to that as well.

Let's see... they'll be 17 for maybe 2 weeks of the school year starting college vs an entire year of trying to parent an adult. That's a no-brainer.

What is your obsession with "trying to parent an adult'"? Aren't all parents of kids born in September and October doing the same thing for a year of high school?

Exactly. I have a daughter with a September birthday and the cutoff is 9/1. She will be 18 all senior year. Whatever will I do? Turns out Sept is also one of the most popular birth months so she will have a lot of company.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Before you redshirt, just remember that you will have a year of parenting an adult in the future.

So many of my friends who redshirted their boys had huge struggles once they reached 18 and still had another year of HS left.

Lots of "you can't make me, I'm 18" and fighting.

And if you don’t redshirt a late August birthday, you’ll most likely be dropping off a 17 year old, non-adult to college, since many colleges start mid-August. There are downsides to that as well.

Let's see... they'll be 17 for maybe 2 weeks of the school year starting college vs an entire year of trying to parent an adult. That's a no-brainer.

What is your obsession with "trying to parent an adult'"? Aren't all parents of kids born in September and October doing the same thing for a year of high school?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Before you redshirt, just remember that you will have a year of parenting an adult in the future.

So many of my friends who redshirted their boys had huge struggles once they reached 18 and still had another year of HS left.

Lots of "you can't make me, I'm 18" and fighting.

And if you don’t redshirt a late August birthday, you’ll most likely be dropping off a 17 year old, non-adult to college, since many colleges start mid-August. There are downsides to that as well.

Let's see... they'll be 17 for maybe 2 weeks of the school year starting college vs an entire year of trying to parent an adult. That's a no-brainer.

Anonymous wrote:Before you redshirt, just remember that you will have a year of parenting an adult in the future.

So many of my friends who redshirted their boys had huge struggles once they reached 18 and still had another year of HS left.

Lots of "you can't make me, I'm 18" and fighting.

I’m the PP with one of the eldest kids in HS (not redshirted) and I would say this has more to do with your friend group. Sounds like a pretty unfortunate group of friends.

PP here. Also watch the math. I always am entertained by the people here (usually anti-redshirters but not always) who plainly cannot do basic math.

NP. As background: I am someone who did not redshirt deliberately but whose cutoff-cusp kid was unintentionally redshirted by a move, and then a few years later “un-redshirted” by another move. DC is now in high school and not redshirted but is one of the older kids. I have also been reading these threads for years.

My advice: First, do not look for rational advice on DCUM on this issue. These discussions get bizarrely heated, including people who state as facts things that aren’t fact (including overtly absurdist commentary particularly from some of the anti-redshirt posters but also some pro-redshirters). It is honestly crazy to me how many people here will say something like “studies say” and then when you go look, of course there are no such studies. I remember people here claiming that there were “studies” showing the youngest did better in college or the oldest had better outcomes or some such nonsense. I have a data analytics background and went and found the actual supposed studies when these claims were made and of course they said no such thing or had significant data faults. So be extremely skeptical.

Second, be sure to understand the difference between public and private. With private schools, they can do what they want. This weirdly sends some anti-redshirt posters around the bend here and I’ve wondered before if they do not understand that private schools can do what they want on this issue. In any event, you may have a lot less choice here than you think.

Finally, I think people who feel passionately about this issue (more often the anti-redshirters but also a good number of pro-redshirters) tend to be pretty sheltered and often on the precious end of things. They don’t have real problems so this is what they focus on. And there are some real weirdos on this subject. I remember one anti-redshirt poster who described the calendar year as “natural law” and kids who were born behind a fall cutoff but before Jan 1 as “redshirted.” Just real weirdos!

In other words, I’d be extremely skeptical of advice you get here — including mine! Ask your specific schools, teachers, and pediatricians. DCUM (including me haha) is pretty useless on this subject. Though it is entertaining. I confess I do sort of like these threads for their irrational “DCUM fight club” insanity. But you seem to be asking a genuine question and are new to the issue, so I’m answering genuinely.

In retrospect, I would have held back my son. I don't think the school system is well situated for active boys. I would send a girl on time, assuming there are no issues or an August Birthday, but boys need to learn more patience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFpYj0E-yb4

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Before you redshirt, just remember that you will have a year of parenting an adult in the future.

So many of my friends who redshirted their boys had huge struggles once they reached 18 and still had another year of HS left.

Lots of "you can't make me, I'm 18" and fighting.

And if you don’t redshirt a late August birthday, you’ll most likely be dropping off a 17 year old, non-adult to college, since many colleges start mid-August. There are downsides to that as well.

No, they would be turning 18.

If move-in day is August 15 and your DC turns 18 on August 31, they will be 17 when you drop them off at college. Yes, they turn 18 quickly but you’re dropping off a kid who is not yet a legal adult.

You wouldn’t send your child to college because of the two weeks of being 17? Good Lord!

What's the rush?

What’s the holdup?

For me it was that my late August birthday kid cried every single day of kindergarten because she "just wanted to play" and hated all of the seat work in school. She was sent to the Principal's office daily for minor infractions and started considering herself to be a "bad kid." Academically she was fine, but she lacked social emotional readiness to succeed in K. Having been through that year, I wish I'd held her. It took us years to rebuilt her interest in school and confidence that she's not inherently "bad."

That would be my hold up. My kid's well being.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Before you redshirt, just remember that you will have a year of parenting an adult in the future.

So many of my friends who redshirted their boys had huge struggles once they reached 18 and still had another year of HS left.

Lots of "you can't make me, I'm 18" and fighting.

And if you don’t redshirt a late August birthday, you’ll most likely be dropping off a 17 year old, non-adult to college, since many colleges start mid-August. There are downsides to that as well.

No, they would be turning 18.

If move-in day is August 15 and your DC turns 18 on August 31, they will be 17 when you drop them off at college. Yes, they turn 18 quickly but you’re dropping off a kid who is not yet a legal adult.

That 2 week period is not a reason to redshirt.

Okay folks you're getting caught up in weird details. The point is the child can be a year older when they go to college or they can not. We all agree they would turn 18 soon after going to college. We can also all agree that probably a lot of maturing happens in one year at that time in A person's life. So for those where this is more of a choice when the birthday falls right around the line, it's a variable to consider whether you want them home with you at that age or out of your house. People are making arguments for both.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Before you redshirt, just remember that you will have a year of parenting an adult in the future.

So many of my friends who redshirted their boys had huge struggles once they reached 18 and still had another year of HS left.

Lots of "you can't make me, I'm 18" and fighting.

And if you don’t redshirt a late August birthday, you’ll most likely be dropping off a 17 year old, non-adult to college, since many colleges start mid-August. There are downsides to that as well.

No, they would be turning 18.

If move-in day is August 15 and your DC turns 18 on August 31, they will be 17 when you drop them off at college. Yes, they turn 18 quickly but you’re dropping off a kid who is not yet a legal adult.

You wouldn’t send your child to college because of the two weeks of being 17? Good Lord!

What's the rush?

Rushing what? The child wasn’t pushed forward. 18 is not an unusual age to attend college.

"Good Lord!" Why so dramatic? If parents want to give their children a year to mature what's it to you?