And one of them is my son!
No, there is no imminent English invasion ahead. “Red-shirting” is the term used for holding children, usually boys, back a year in order for them to have a better chance at success in school. It is lifted from sports terminology when referring to team members who practice with the team, but don’t actually play. Usually to get them acclimated to the level of play so they will be ready the next year.
This is a big topic among almost all parents who have children with birthdays in the months of September through December. On one hand, you want your child to have as many advantages in school as possible. Some parents believe the developmental differerences between a child born in January and a child born in December of the same year are too large to ignore, thus putting the December child at a disadvantage in an academic setting. On the other hand, you have social pressure to put your child in school even if they have a late birthday because in doing so, you are somehow admitting your child won’t cut it.
Talk about a minefield!
I agonized over the decision to hold my son back for almost a year. The biggest opponent to holding him back was actually my own mother. She was not, is not, will never be happy that my son is in “Junior Kindergarten” this year instead of regular. She has tried to talk me out of it multiple times, each time with less and less patience on my part.
It is my opinion that with the heavy emphasis on academics in schools courtesy of the No Child Left Behind Act, he would do better if he was held back. I tried in vain to explain to my mom that the kindergarten of my youth is not the same kindergarten of today. He also, I think, needs more time to learn the important skills of cooperation and teamwork, which will hopefully make his school career go a bit more smoothly. Social skills are just as important as academic ones, and younger children are less socially developed than their older peers.
It wasn’t a decision I made lightly, and it certainly wasn’t because I want him to be the biggest and strongest kid on the playground. It also wasn’t due to a lack of intelligence, he can already read. However, taking all the factors listed above into account, as well as his personality, I made the executive decision. Because I am without a doubt the decider.
Besides, the school’s own admission policy states that any child enrolled in kindergarten must be five at the start of the school year. My son will be five at the end of this month. Many schools are doing this in their own self-interest to boost or maintain scores, as well as recognizing the increasing academic load being placed on our children at an earlier age. And since it works out that their policy is also in the best interest of my son, I’m all for it. As an added bonus, it shuts my mom up, too.
