Well, the big day came. It was the first day of school and we sent off our little 10 year old to 6th grade! Now, our oldest isn't really short. Well, true, I am only 5 feet tall and my husband is 5 foot 11, but I always felt our son was somewhat average in height.
Well, it for sure didn't matter much anymore. We walked to school and watched as the kids separate into their grade groups and line up by class outside the school doors. I looked horrified by these towering giants and girls (with boobs!) who were going to be my son's classmates. Could these really be 6th graders?! They were huge! And so mature looking!
I guess when your son goes from class with little 9 year old boys and girls and then the next year jumps into class with these older almost 12 year old boys and girls (or should I say young women) that it is a dramatic jump. Our son looked so small. He lined up in line and I couldn't even see him because his head was a foot lower than the other kids in line. And he was standing next to girls!
Was this a bad decision? Yes, my little genius of a boy deserved to be promoted and I'm sure he wasn't going to have any problems academically, but should we have allowed this? Sure, socially it didn't seem to matter because no one accepted our quirky son with Asperger's in his classes last year. He was miserable both socially and academically. We wanted some sort of happiness for him. I didn't want him to get stepped on though. What would the other kids think? Would they know he didn't really belong in their grade? Would they know he skipped?
All these worries, yet, these were all things we went against anyway because we had found out that he didn't seem to fit in anywhere, so why hold him back? Why not give the smart boy the opportunity to go ahead and be more challenged and enjoy school more on an academic level?
Well, off he went and we waited to see what would become of such a bold decision. Good luck my little one.
Well, it for sure didn't matter much anymore. We walked to school and watched as the kids separate into their grade groups and line up by class outside the school doors. I looked horrified by these towering giants and girls (with boobs!) who were going to be my son's classmates. Could these really be 6th graders?! They were huge! And so mature looking!
I guess when your son goes from class with little 9 year old boys and girls and then the next year jumps into class with these older almost 12 year old boys and girls (or should I say young women) that it is a dramatic jump. Our son looked so small. He lined up in line and I couldn't even see him because his head was a foot lower than the other kids in line. And he was standing next to girls!
Was this a bad decision? Yes, my little genius of a boy deserved to be promoted and I'm sure he wasn't going to have any problems academically, but should we have allowed this? Sure, socially it didn't seem to matter because no one accepted our quirky son with Asperger's in his classes last year. He was miserable both socially and academically. We wanted some sort of happiness for him. I didn't want him to get stepped on though. What would the other kids think? Would they know he didn't really belong in their grade? Would they know he skipped?
All these worries, yet, these were all things we went against anyway because we had found out that he didn't seem to fit in anywhere, so why hold him back? Why not give the smart boy the opportunity to go ahead and be more challenged and enjoy school more on an academic level?
Well, off he went and we waited to see what would become of such a bold decision. Good luck my little one.
