Keep him back or let him play on?

Sometimes we all need to realize our kid may end up being a good HS player and that may be the end of the road. Just be realistic. Not saying to accept that but just don't be caught surprised if it happens. We did hold my youngest back in kindergarten because he had a late June birthday. Sports was not considered in the decision.

 

Hahahaha.....How come? You mean you couldn't tell that he was going to be a fierce football player and an all state catcher when he was 5?

Just kiddin' with ya Putt!

 

Understood. The humor is needed. This place has been a little touchy here lately.

 

It must be that nerve that keeps getting pressed

 

I think it's a good idea to hold back boys in kindergarten. It's hard enough for boys to sit still in class at 6 years old much less 5. My son has a late Sept birthday and we didn't hold him back but I have regretted it. I kinow several parents who did and it is funny that the ones who did it in kindergarten are school teachers themselves and they know the advantage for boys doing this. I also know a few that did it in the 8th grade. One was a straight A student. It was purely for athletic reasons but it must have helped because they got D1 scholarships. They might have anyway though we will never know. My son got alot stronger after he graduated from high school but some of that can be attributed to the college baseball workouts. He has also knocked 6 tenths off of his 60 time but again I think most of that is from the speed work at the college level. Would my son have gotten more looks from bigger schools if we had held him back? We will never know.

I think one family that I know did it the best way. He started kindergarten at a private church school and then the next year he went to public school kindergarten. He was a big kid anyway but I think it helps with maturity.

It is very helpful to a kid that has a late Birthday. If the birthday isn't late I think they will be fine without being held back.

 

As a former pre-k teacher, I'll weigh in here.

In most instances, you can already tell at an early age about a childs development rate by watching skills that require coordination. Watch a group of 4 year old children running, cutting with scissors, working puzzles, etc. and you can tell if they are advanced or delayed.

When deciding whether to send your child to school, the whole child should be considered...academics, social, and physical development all play an equally important role in the success of a child. One of the most academically gifted kids I ever taught started K a year late because he needed another year to develop socially, emotionally, and physically.

We all know that there is not a ton of baseball money to go around, so we need to make sure that our children have the academics to pull in some money. (Might be another good thread....amt. of academic money vs. baseball money that guys get ).

I agree that the earlier you give a child an 'extra year' for developing, the better for the child. However, I have never heard a parent who decided to give that child an extra year say "I regret what I did", however I have heard many say "I wish we would have given them one more year to develop." In my opinion, if there is any doubt that your child is not ready at any level of development, give them one more year.

 

Good Post

Sportsmom thats a good post. Nothing is going to be hurt by holding them back at an early age if your unsure.

 

exactly

Rather than holding them back just start them a year later! I have a 16 year old brother that is 6'4" and is hardly any older than other kids in his grade. He started a year later than most, not for any specific reason. Holding a child back at such an early age gives them no input in the situation. I wouldn't like it!

 

I debated

I really debated whether or not to participate in this thread. First of all, I'm not sure the "school setting" bodes well for any young boy regardless of maturity level. It's simply not conducive to the "hands on" visual type of learning boys minds need, but that's another issue.

My daughter won't turn 18 until a week before she heads off to college. It has never been a problem for her. However, I would encourage any parent to delay the start of school for a boy. We wish we had done that with our son. Finally by the 6th grade it was getting to be a bit much. Being one of the youngest in his class, his maturity level was like that of the kids in the grade behind his so we bit the bullet and held him back.

To avoid the abuse kids can hand out we put him in a small private school to enable him to adjust. He took to it like a champ. And interestingly the kids he left behind were unbelievably accepting! Kids are different today I guess. We just instructed him to be frank and say that he was too young for their grade and that was that. The older kids still hang out with him and the older girls have their eye on him even though they know his story.

It actually turned out to be a non-event and now due to being in the right grade, at the right school AND having some puberty/maturity kicking in things are going wonderfully for him. I wish we knew to delay his start in the first place.

Adjusting grade level just for sports seems a bit odd to me but I'm not judging those that do that.

 

agree

as I read these posts, I tended to think about this......... agree w/ quote above but it doesn't surprise me.