Name: Erin M.

Burlington, MA

Number of kids: 3

Ages of kids: 3, 6, 8

Problem: I have never submitted something like this or even used a chat line but thought I would give it a try...I am coming down the wire with school starting soon and am still wrestling with whether I should hold my son back or send him on to first grade.

My son has been through kindergarten. Considering his "disabilities" (consisting of speech and auditory delays--some physical therapy needs), he did very well in kindergarten but did have some socialization issues. He also had a need to be constantly coached by the assistant teacher when given more than one direction at a time. And he has trouble sitting still for long periods. Many of the kids he went to school with turned age 6 by December...My son just turned 6 at the end of July. My son's teacher says that he will probably do okay academically in first grade, but the socialization issues (where he doesn't yet know the appropriate things to say at the appropriate times--this is where the school was scripting with him and where he is a little immature--he is more into "Thomas the Tank Engine," "Elmo," and "Arthur" still, rather than say, Batman or Jurassic Park). Physically in size he is big...He is about 50" tall and weighs about 60 pounds.

So here I still sit on this fence...I have spoken to counselors, teachers, speech therapists, and principal at the school all seeming to end up sitting on the same fence...their feel "off the record" is that maybe he should repeat the year, but that if he goes on to the first grade that they can provide help for him..."on the record" (I think because the school frowns on having children repeat grades for self-esteem reasons) they think that he should go on to the first grade "but..."

Solution: None submitted yet.