First Day of Kindergarten

School started today and for a couple of Oliver's pals, it was the first day of kindergarten.  Many of these kids Oliver met as babies when us moms were frazzled new parents who couldn't yet picture our helpless little infants being big enough to head off to school.  Heck, we were just hoping our babies would eventually learn to hold their heads up and roll over.  But those babies really did grow up into walking, talking (and back-talking) little kids. Five years later, some are off to kindergarten and the rest, like Oliver, are waiting a year, depending upon which side of the September 1 cut-off date their birthdays fall.

Despite how bittersweet it is to see half the group I've watched grow up be year permanently ahead of Oliver in school, I'm confident in our decision not to push him ahead.  With a September 29 birthday, I'm actually relieved Oliver was born solidly on the other side of the cut-off, because it took the pressure off us to make a decision about whether to hold him back or have him be the youngest (and smallest) in his class.  Instead, we're putting him in the grade he's supposed to be in according to his birthday and the cut-off date.  If we had wanted to send him to kindergarten this year, we would have had to petition the school district, had him tested and then accepted a placement in whatever school had an opening.  With the good elementary schools over-subscribed in our district, it wasn't an option we gave more than a passing thought.

If Oliver had been born before September 1, we probably would have held him back, but it's a lot harder to feel confident in your decision when you watch your friends send their summer birthday kids (and your son's friends) off to school.  Ultimately, though, Chris and I would rather have our children be a little older for their grade and have an extra year to mature and grow than have our children be on the younger side and have the possibility of constantly playing catch-up socially.