Name: Deana
Mechanicville, NY
Number of kids: 2
Ages of kids: 2 and 4
Problem: My son will be 5 on Oct. 26 and I'm not sure if I should send him to kindergarten this fall.The cut off date for our school is Dec.1st. He has attended nursery school for 2 years and is very bright. I asked his preschool teacher her recommendation and she believes as of right now he is not because he has a hard time following the rules and excepting the consequences.He has shown improvement recently and feels maybe by the end of this school year he may mature enough.I have looked into a couple of good pre-k programs, but they are already full. If he doesn't go to kindergarten I don't know where to send him.I feel stuck. I am not in a rush to get him into kindergarten, I just want what's best for my son.What are some of your experiences and what are the pros and cons of this situation? HELP!!!
Solution submitted by TW from Cleveland, OH: I have personally agonized over this for a number of years, as both my first born son was a late summer birthday (he's 7) and my daughter (4) is a late September birthday. She just makes the cutoff in my state. I choose not to send my son. He's in a very challenging Catholic school and now in first grade and for him, thus far, I believe the decision was right. He is of average height, does not stand out in anyway. He is one of the smarter kids in class and considered a leader and a person you'd want to have as a friend or pick on your team...the teacher's own words. Why then am I uncertain about my daughter? Well she is by nature more outgoing then my son was at her age and naturally being a girl she has better fine motor skills. She is very athletically coordinated and smart. The only thing is maturity and the trend in our area to wait. Do I want my daughter to be almost a year or maybe two younger than people in her class, or would I like her to have the advantage of being one of the oldest. It seems to me that those that have children that are in the middle of the deadline do not have issues with this. It's those of us who have children close to the deadlines. That's my thoughts for now. Any good layman books on the subject? Let me know.
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