s/o... were you the oldest or youngest in class?

lrb

In my pity party post I mentioned that I'm stressing over the fact that with my luck this baby is going to come Sept 2nd and then she'll forever resent me for missing the school Sept 1st deadline.   But, then again, as Bride mentioned, maybe it's not such a bad thing to be the oldest in class?  I hate that she would be right on the cusp and would have to wait an additional year.  Please tell me that it's not as big a deal as I'm making it out to be! 

ali-1411

Layna's birthday is Sep 23, so she just misses the cutoff.  It sucks.  In Michigan, the cutoff isn't until Dec 1.  I think I like it better that she will wait to start kinder, rather than starting when she is still 4 years old.  And she'll be one of the first of her friends to get her drivers license, which will automatically make her a cool kid

Chicklit

I have an October birthday and my mom considered the option of starting me early so that I would be one of the younger people in the class, but ultimately she decided against it.

I don't remember it ever being a big deal. In fact, I never felt older than anyone in my class. I would think that being the youngest in a class would suck much more.  At that age, feeling "younger" than your peers is way worse than feeling older.

SaraLouiseBride08

I'd think it would be better to be the oldest in the class, rather than the youngest.

Being older is cool until ... you're old Only then do you wish you were younger! LOL

molliedb

i was october, so one of the older ones.  i dont think it had much impact really.  i liked being able to drive early!

in texas soooo many kids get held back, i doubt she'll even be the oldest.  lots and lots of summer kids wait to go to school until they turn 6- we are considering it for lily. (end of july bday). 

ACR

I was one of the youngest, and it was fine. I had plenty of friends who were among the oldest too, and they didn't seem to have any issues with it.

Nessia

I'm very familiar with this since my birthday is August 30th. I was always the youngest but I didn't mind it all. I think I preferred the challenge of keeping up with the older kids. In all honestly it was never an issue. I never cared that I was 16 and my friends were 17. I graduated HS at 17 and college at 21 which was cool. The worst part was in college when I was still 20 and everyone else was already 21.

Emer

I was the youngest- my birthday is right in the middle of summer.  My brother's birthday is earlier int he summer and he was the oldest in his class.  Plenty of people choose to have their kids be the oldest (summer birthdays), so there are plenty of positives.  Your kid will be the one driving, instead of riding with other kids.  She'll have a leg up in sports.  She'll be more mature, which will be nice in elementary.  

GuavaGal

Chicklit:

I have an October birthday and my mom considered the option of starting me early so that I would be one of the younger people in the class, but ultimately she decided against it.

I don't remember it ever being a big deal. In fact, I never felt older than anyone in my class. I would think that being the youngest in a class would suck much more.  At that age, feeling "younger" than your peers is way worse than feeling older.

I have an October birthday, and my parents did start me early.  Looking back, I was ready: I could already kindof read, and I've always been tall so that wasn't an issue. 

Did it suck to turn 16 last in my group of friends?  Yes.  Did it suck to start college at age 17, and not even be able to legally enter a bar (at the time, cut off was 18)?  Yep.  But otherwise, I didn't feel younger.  I'm the oldest child in my family, so I think my maturity level was the same as my school peers.

 

btrrcupbride

My middle child is 9/18.  It has never been an issue.  She didn't even realize she was one of the oldest until we pointed it out to her.
Now, I think she really likes it.  She has never struggled academically and has always been in AP classes.  AP/TAG/Advanced classes are offered at every level, so she would not have to wait until high school.  And she is very excited to be one of the first among her friends who can drive.  She gets her permit in 18 days!!!!  :-O

In my experience, and my mother who taught K for 35 years, the real concern is not older (especially w/ girls) but w/ young boys who just make the cut.  They almost always struggle b/c they are slower to mature.  Even if they are ready academically they often struggle w/ behavior issues.

bobcatsteph

I was the youngest (my birthday is in August). I was fine..and didn't know any different.

mcgee

SO many people hold kids back a year now to give them a perceived advantage in size and maturity.

I am a late July baby, and I was always among the youngest in my grade. It sucked because I was among the last to be able to legally drive, to legally drink, etc. 

Alex's early November birthday means that he will be one of the older kids in his class, unless a bunch of his classmates were held back a year. I think that's good for him - even if everyone else catches up to him size-wise, I won't have to worry much about him being the tiniest kid on the playground. It also means that even though he and Meredith are not quite 3.5 years apart, they will be 4 years apart in school, so God-willing, we will get Meredith done with her Bachelor's degree before Alex starts college.

Fa1ryG0dm0ther

I was the youngest, because I went from a private school to a public school where they advanced me one grade.  I was significantly younger.  All of my friends drove before I did, etc., but that just meant they would take me with them.  Not a big deal.  The twins birthdays are at the end of August....it'll be fine.

labbielover07

I was one of the younger kids in school.  My birthday is in July, so when I graduated from high school I wasn't even 18 yet.  I always struggled in school.  Not sure if it was an age thing or not.  

meg120510

My birthday is the last day of November, and I was in the middle of my class.  I had no problems and never felt age was a big deal.  I believe it depends on each child.  We will evaluate based on their readiness to be in school.  One thing that bothers me are those parents who send their kids to school really young, who are not ready, just so they can save on childcare costs.  It is sad to see a child struggle.  But that is just my two cents.

maribel922

I was the oldest in my class and it was great.  Both of my boys are summer birthdays and we've already decided to hold both back.  My mom is a kindergarten teacher and really opinionated about this.  Especially with boys.  Although we could chance that they might be physically and emotionally ready, we decided to err on the side of caution and just plan that they'll be 6 when they start instead of 5, especially with all the people that are doing what we're doing making a sometimes 18 month gap in between the oldest and a youngest in a class! 

HSartteach

I was the 2nd youngest in my class.  In CT the cut off is in December.  I am the 4th.  My bf in grade school was the 5th.  We met a third good friend on the 3rd.  I started Kinder when I was 4.  I graduated when I was 17.  I didn't get my license until 18--and really that was no big deal...my friends drove me everywhere.  I graduated at 21.  (in my department at college, I believed I was the youngest until senior year when I found out one of my friends was 6 days younger--he kept a good secret).  I didn't go to bars, and well, we drank and never got carded, so again no biggie.  My young age made no matter in how I did in school.

My friend who was a day younger in hs was the salutatorian.  So, to me it's not a big deal.  When they get to hs, so many kids are back graded due to credits, it doesn't even matter who is how old.

IMO, I wouldn't sweat it if I were you.

Kristen0709

I was the youngest and I'm only a July baby.  Honestly it only sucked when I got older because I was the last to do everything but I really didn't think about it much until big things like driver's license, 18th birthday, etc. rolled around.

txbabs111

My sister was born on Sept. 1 and my mom got to choose if she wanted to start kinder right when she turned 5 or wait a year. She had her start and has said that she always regretted doing so. She thinks that my sister wasn't mature enough at that point and that holding her back until the next year would have allowed her to be a lot more successful in school.

thethomps

I was actually moved up to first grade from kinder after about 3 months because I could read and none of the other kids could.  It really wasn't a big deal being the youngest until high school when everyone could drive their sophomore year and I had to wait until the end of my junior year to get my license.  I think she'll be fine - eventually it all evens out! 

Taytee

I was a youngun because I have an October birthday and my grandparents had friends so I got into school early. I was 17 when I started at UT. I always ADORED my older friends because when I was 14 - they could drive me places hee hee