@anotherparent posted:Redshirting all boys, i.e. having them start school at age 6, not 5, is becoming more recommended, not for sports but for maturity in general, e.g.:
https://www.theatlantic.com/ma...-redshirting/671238/
(not sure whether that's behind a paywall). If you google "boys start school 6", you find many studies saying that wealthier families routinely do this, poorer ones less so.
As far as I'm concerned this was one of the best things I ever did. 2023 was smart enough but, as the youngest kid in his class, he was immature and struggled with some social aspects. So against the advice of every teacher and principal I spoke with, I "redshirted" him in 6th grade and home schooled him for another "6th grade". Then off to middle school as the oldest kid in his class. Will now graduate HS w just 2 B's and a GPA 4.4 or something like that. Probably would have been lower if we stayed on the previous schedule. Was sports part of the decision? Yes I have to admit that it was. Retrospectively, with all the COVID/portal issues and his physical development time frame, I suspect he would not have found a spot at his upcoming college program if we hadn't done this. Back in a summer 7 years ago, I was a certified genius for exactly one week.