TLK

or Aug or Sep ... whatever the case is.

Simply put, in USA, schools have a birthday cutoff date and if your kid is not 5 by that day (Aug 31st in some cases), they dont take him/her in first grade and the kid has to wait for one full year to enroll into next year batch.

Does it worry you? I've seen many parents getting all worked up if their kid misses the school year because of birth date. I was reading a book called 'Outliers'. According to that, its a good thing because next year when the kid enters the school, he/she is going to be amongst the biggest kids in class, and according to the study, at such a young age, 11-10 months age difference is like day and night difference amongst kids. Kids who were born in Sept 2002 and Aug 2003 could be in a same class but in genereal, Kids from Sept 2002 are going to outshine the kids from Aug 2003.

O btw, nothing wrong with if your kid was born in Aug. All I am saying that Kids of 4rth quarter born parents should not get worried about their kids missing one school year. Its not a bad thing after all.

FairyTale

Niksik

I don't care. What is the big deal?

Sahar02

My youngest brother was born in December and was allowed to enter with kids born in the same year, rather than having to wait a year. My parents now feel strongly that that was very hard on him. He's already the youngest in the household and spent his childhood trying to catch up with us two older ones. In school too then, some of his classmates were nearly a year ahead developmentally. At younger ages in particular, that year is very significant. I think he ended up being less confident in his own abilities -- even tho it was no fault of his own. He's probably the smartest of the three of us -- but it took him the longest to come into his own.

Hashmat Usmani

Mamaof3

In our school, the cutoff date is inDecember. My youngest was born the first week of January so he missed the cutoff date by a week! I was actually happy about this. Boys tend to be less mature than girls but since he will likely be the oldest kid in his class, he'll be more secure and confident. He also had a bit of speech delay and fine-motor delay which we worked on and resolved before he started school. I'm really happy about how things worked out for him, even more so because I was on the other side of the coin. I was the youngest in my class, was 2 weeks before the cutoff date and I always struggled, was always immature compared to classmates. I think its always better to be overly ready emotionally. Academics always catch up but once a kid starts to suffer emotionally in school, it really doesnt matter how smart they are. If they're unhappy or unpopular in school, grades will suffer eventually and so will enjoyment of learning.

ahmadjee

Misbah missed the cutoff date by 2 days. So she is the oldest in her KG class. We could have put her in private school last year as her day care cost was pretty much the same as the private school but we decided against it.

I am not so worried for her studies at all, I am a little concerned how it will effect her emotionally. She is pretty tall for her age and I have seen her with other kids. She likes to be the boss and others do follow her. So I am constantly telling her to not boss kids around. Her teacher has a totally different take on it. She thinks she is very helpful to other kids in all activities.

I personally think this whole worry that parents have about their kids being behind is their personal ego. When I see grand parents comparing their children as to who started talking first, walking first, reading first etc. they are just trying to please their egos or kill time because in the long run called life, it really doesn't matter. We are too complex to be judged by silly little contests. Who could have imagined that the bi-racial dude smoking pot raised by a single mother & grand parents would one day be the President of the United States.

Jafri

My younger sister was born on November 4th..It isn't really anything to worry about as the group the kids are meant to go in are completely unaware of them and they fit along with the kids they go with. If the kid does good and is smarter..they'll obviously let him/her skip a grade..

TLK

I totally agree with you on this. I have seen parents getting worried that my 2 yrs old cannot speak while someone elses 2 yrs old can speak full 3 words sentence. An I am always like, dude will it matter when they are 18 that who started speaking first.

Same is when parents put their perfectly normal 4 yrs old in special classes where they can learn to read and write English and Math faster. I mean with all due respect to any of the parents who has done it, does it really matter after 5 yrs from now how if they could count to 400 vs a normal 4 yrs old who could do only count till 10 maybe.

Pareezay

Not just grandparents, even parents or family members take pleasure in praising theirs and putting down other kids, which is so wrong.

Every child learns at his or her own space, it's no competition or guarantee that you'll turn out a genius if you start early.

inzi_rocks

I just about made it. So am the youngest

TLK

yup, I started early and look at me now

FairyTale

I started early too... but i was kind of really good in class. Always in top 3 , mostly number 1

Mabrook

ok yes i simply hate it. i think its unfair. i don't think catching up is such a big issue in these countries as they hardly put any pressure on kids n in Alberta (dunno abt states)all kids r passed to next level no matter how they do s o it really doesn't put them under any pressure. thusthey should be placed with same age group. being oldest in class is no fun really

Pareezay

yeah, yeah.. all you do is just make planes.. which any aira ghaira can do.

i think you're genius x 2.

MIAinVA

My daughter is a January baby so yeah, she's gonna probably be one of the oldest in her class. I don't care about her starting late but my husband is OBSESSED with her education.... I know he's going to put a lot of pressure on her

I've had tons of discussions with him on the subject but he's just so stubborn about it...... he's also very competitive He's planning on getting her tested for Grade 1 (after she finishes Kindergarten... she's in Jr. K in a private school right now) so that she would not be late but that will actually end up as her being the youngest in her class..... I don't know how to convince him to leave her alone

Muzna

I agree with most of what you say TLK. My nephew is 3 years old and has just begun to formulate full sentences. My sister was panicked even a year ago and took him in to be assessed because he was not speaking as well as some other kids his age. He's catching up fine now. Of course by the time he is 7 or 8 nobody will know the difference.

I don't know yet if I agree with the second part though. I believe that we have the ability to pick things up faster and gain a deeper understanding of concepts when we are younger. I think other ideas and influences begin to impact this ability as we grow older so if certain topics are ingrained while we are young we will have an edge in building on those foundations. I can see examples in my life with my siblings and with my nieces and nephews. One of my brothers was put into school with an inaccurate birthdate at the age of 2.5 years. My mother sent him off and he did quite well even as the youngest in class. To this day he is quick to adapt, has had a remarkable career and is successful in all aspects of his life....at least by general standards. Now....did he have a tough time growing up? I can't say that it was any more difficult than any other person from his generation.

I have nieces and nephews that have been brought up differently. Those that have had their academic life monitored closely have excelled and those that have been left to steer themselves or have been mollycoddled have not done so well. Ammi always said that children are like green branches of a tree.....you can bend them and bend them....they will not snap. This is the time to mold them into the arch that will adorn the entrance to your garden. Do not expect to do it later when they have matured as you will only disappoint all involved.

Perhaps I am using too few examples that are before me....but this is what I have observed.

Muzna

I rest my case.

Mamaof3

Muzna, what you're saying makes much sense. But each child is different and this needs to be taken into account. When you're between the ages of 5 and 10, one year can make a world of difference. Some 5 year olds excel in classrooms with 6 year olds...and some falter. It can have a huge impact on their self-esteem and their desire to learn and even to go to school when they feel out of place with peers. An astute parent knows their child and what they would be capable of handling yeah? Push them a bit and encourage them much but if you see faltering then you need to take action. When you push too hard and too fast, the kid will likely hate school, not fit in with peers and become defiant and rebellious. What for? Much better to have a confident child who loves school and learning, fits in well with peers and is a well-adjusted person. If your child is truly exceptional, most public schools and likely all private schools have programs for advanced children so go that route instead of pushing them into classrooms with older kids.

Muzna

Absolutely agree with you Mama.
You really need to know your child well and continue to monitor their progress....or lack thereof.

I see no need to push a child that is not enjoying the trip. I would rather have them take the pace that suits them so that they are encouraged by their achievements....at whatever rate they are able to accomplish them. This keeps then engaged and happy.