December Boys

One of the decisions that has caused me the biggest struggle is when to start Owen in Kindergarten. His birthday is Dec 23rd. The cut-off for the school year is Dec 31. This means that he could have started school this September at 4 years and 9 months old.

I have continued to go back and forth on what is the right decision for Owen. I don't believe that there is one RIGHT answer for all kids, but I do want to make the right decision for Owen.

Reasons to have started him this September:

- Owen has always been very advanced verbally
- Owen is a bright child and has been excelling in math at preschool, already doing division and multiplication
- Owen is very social and gets along well with children who are older than him - many of his friends started school in September

Reasons to hold him back:

- Owen would be the youngest boy in his class, which may not be that big of an issue in elementary school, but could become a big issue in high school
- Owen is somewhat immature emotionally - he is VERY sensitive and cries easily
- Owen will be registered in French Immersion, so he will be challenged regardless of when he starts
- Although this has nothing to do with Owen, it would be nice to close the school-year gap between him and Alex

In the end, Owen is doing one more year of pre-school this year. It is his third year and I think he will be better prepared for Kindergarten than most children (perhaps even over-prepared).

There are days when I question that decision... When I see how well he plays with his friends who are currently in Kindergarten and when I compare him to some of the children who will be his school peers...

There are days when I am confident about that decision... When I talk to parents with teenage boys, when Owen gets emotionally bruised by some interaction with another child...

I just read the book It's a Boy!: Your Son's Development from Birth to Age 18 by Thompson and Barker. It is a wonderful book, with each chapter covering a different developmental phase. Reading the chapter on 5-7 year olds has made me much more confident in my decision to hold him back. I think more time to mature emotionally will only benefit Owen.

But knowing me.... this decision will weigh on my mind for some time 8-)