Tony's birthday is in July. Since he just turned five, he is eligible to start Kindergarten at Sacred Heart this year and, until recently, I had no doubts that he would be doing just that.
In the last few weeks, however, I have been strongly contemplating holding him back for a year and having him start Kindergarten next year when he has just turned six. If I send him now he will be the youngest in his class (or close to it), and if I wait he will be among the oldest.
I have heard many arguments in favor of holding him and few in favor of sending him. He himself likes the idea of going to our local public school for a year of Kindergarten before starting "for real" at Sacred Heart, especially since his very good friend will be doing the exact same thing. This is the same public school that gave Joey such a positive experience, so I do not worry about sending him there in general.
By all tests, Tony seems ready to start Kindergarten. Yet, giving him an extra year to mature (especially since he is a boy, and since our children are notoriously handwriting challenged anyway) and develop his fine motor skills seems like it might give him confidence in the long run. If he ends up struggling academically, I will always kick myself for not having done this. Plus, if he ends up being bored, I can move him up easier than hold him back later, right?
I am interested to see if any of you have an opinion about this. Valley View starts on Monday, so I am going to have to make a final decision over the weekend one way or another. Have any of you held your children back or started them early? What have you done with your "summer birthdays" and how have they fared? Any advice or thoughts are appreciated!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Briana says her offer of taking Tony out to Mt. Carmel on her daily commute from here in the boonies still stands. Discalced Carmelites and free transport...and they don't start until the beginning of September, so it enables further procrastination ;-)
I'd say do what your mom heart and the Lord are telling you.
Personal opinion: I have 4 boys (and 3 girls). The oldest two I started when they turned 5 (birthdays in March and July), the youngest two I waited until they were 6 (birthdays in March and May). Definitely would choose 6 over and over again. So much more confident and prepared. My brother also chose 6 for his son. They are happy they did. I ended up holding the older boys back a year in 5th and 6th grade. So glad I did. (We home school, so wasn't too big a deal, but still some minor issues.) They are headed to a charter school this fall at 9th and 10th grade. Can I say it again? I'm so glad I kept them back when I did.
Daisy from daisycrazyliving dot blogspot dot com.
(Somehow my husband's blog and mine got mixed up, and it now posts his name on my comments. Sorry. :)
God's blessing on your decision making. :)
I can only tell you my personal experience when I was a kid. I was held back in 5th grade for similar reasons, and I think it was a good thing. The only caveat to this was that I changed schools (my parents chose this so as to not to make me feel like I was behind my friends). My younger brother repeated kindergarten, and it was a big help to him, too, because it gave him time to catch up to the other kids. Overall, it helped quite a bit because it gave me the time I needed to catch up emotionally, and my brother ended up becoming a very independant kid later on, who actually finished high school via independant study. All around, it was a good choice for us. -AO
Nevan's b-day is in October so I had this choice also. I decided to wait and send him to kindergarten when he was turning 6. I did that because my oldest Connor (where there was no decision since his b-day was in March) always felt shorter and skinnier than the other boys - he's caught up now but it was hard for him. I realized the physical part becomes more important as they grow older - particularly for boys. Hope that helps. Maura
Hi Suz, We held Ari back (b-day is late June) and it was the best decision we ever made. He is one of the oldest (and tallest) in his class, but really he is right where he should be. I wish I could have held Jack back (b-day is January), but couldn't. I see the difference in maturity between them at this stage. I think the confidence factor goes a long way. We are now holding Kate back (b-day October) and although she is more mature (being a girl), the social development will help. So, I guess my vote is hold him:) But, every child is different, go with your heart.
On another note, glad your treatment is still going so well! We continue to keep you and your family in our prayers.
xxoo
Renee
Hi Suzanne, I hadn't been on your blog for awhile and was wondering what you decided to do with Tony. I am all for waiting. We put Corey (your cousin) in kinder when he was 4. He turned 5 in late October. Needless to say, we ended up holding him back in second grade. He always did well in school, straight A's. However, He was immature for his age. And by the way, it was Corey's idea to do second grade over again. He told us he wasn't ready to go to 3rd grade.
Love reading the blog, and glad to hear the good news on the latest scan. God be with you and your family, love you, JoAnn
Hi Suzanne, I hadn't been on your blog for awhile and was wondering what you decided to do with Tony. I am all for waiting. We put Corey (your cousin) in kinder when he was 4. He turned 5 in late October. Needless to say, we ended up holding him back in second grade. He always did well in school, straight A's. However, He was immature for his age. And by the way, it was Corey's idea to do second grade over again. He told us he wasn't ready to go to 3rd grade.
Love reading the blog, and glad to hear the good news on the latest scan. God be with you and your family, love you, JoAnn
Post a Comment