On your mark, get set… GO! Welcome to the thrilling world of competitive parenting, where the race to give your kid a leg up starts before they even set foot in kindergarten.
I’ve always heard about the whole “my kid is better than yours” vibe in schools, but I figured that madness wouldn’t kick in until middle school or maybe even high school. Oh, how wrong I was! It turns out the competition starts way before they can even spell “kindergarten.”
The other day, while picking up my son from preschool, I overheard some parents discussing whether to start their child in kindergarten at five or wait until they’re six. I was puzzled—aren’t kids supposed to start at five? That’s when I started kindergarten. That’s when my wife started kindergarten. Naturally, I assumed that’s when my son would too.
Curiosity got the best of me, so I awkwardly inserted myself into the conversation and asked, “Why wait until six?” They all stared at me like I had just asked if Santa was real. Then, one mom chimed in, “Well, for sports, of course. You have to plan ahead for sports.”
Wait, what? Sports? My face must have mirrored the confusion in my brain, because they quickly realized I had no clue about this whole concept. Apparently, some parents are now holding their kids back a year to give them a competitive edge in high school sports! Who knew?
Silly me, I’ve been busy teaching my son to write his name, memorize our phone number, and master the art of zippers and shoelaces. I should have been planning his future as a high school sports star—who knows, maybe even securing that elusive college scholarship!
I’ll be honest, this revelation threw me for a loop. My son is a bright little dude, and I’m confident he could handle kindergarten at five. But he’s also not the biggest kid. He’s more of a mini-me - short, skinny, with a bit of a bobblehead situation going on. Academically, he might thrive, but what if he’s the smallest kid in the class? Is he doomed to a life of being picked last in gym class?
On the other hand, if we hold him back until he’s six, he might be bored stiff in class because his brain is more advanced. And what if he doesn’t even like sports?
So here I am, torn between what’s best for my son now and what might benefit him down the road. If any of you seasoned parents have advice, I’d love to hear it in the comments below. Have you held your kid back for a competitive edge? Was it worth it?
In the meantime, I’ll be in the backyard with Reid, tossing the football, doing push-ups, and working on his sprints. You know, just in case.
Photography credit: Jeremy Padgett
