Meh. I'd say I was marginally less ostracised in elementary after my skip than before. Middle school, no one cared. I'm sure I would have been just as unhappy at having no partner for prom being one year older - no idea why that should have made the straight A kid with the thick glasses and the big mouth any more popular with the boys. I had lots if women friends who gave me rides when I didn't have a licence yet, and at the time we all mostly still rode bikes anyway, because hardly anyone had their own car and our parents let has drive theirs only for special occasions. I probably would have been competitive for any kind of academic competition if my school had ever cared to actually enter a student (I asked and was shot down). I certainly got the full academic ride to college anyway, even a year younger. Socially, the skip could be called a disaster. I still do not regret in the least because I went from going out of my mind to only mostly bored.
It is almost impossible to find the perfect fit for our kids, unless you luck out with the perfect gifted school in our neighbourhood. I feel that for our DS (who HAS been accelerated once) a second skip might compromise his chance at finding a good enough fit, socially AND academically, in gifted middle school - I haven't mentioned yet that his EF skills simply aren't ready for middle school either, gifted or not. And he is NOT going out of his mind, only mostly bored. As he wants to stay with the kids he knows, we'll try to make fourth grade work. It's only another year now.
Could there be reason to regret either choice down the road? Of course! But I can only passably judge wether middle school this year or next will set him up for a good middle school experience, anything further off is trying to read the tea leaves. Divination being a very imprecise ranch of magic and all...
Note that I am NOT advocating against a skip for the OPs DD, just for trying to find the best fit, socially and academically AND athletically, because I'm sure her DD cares about swimming, too, NOW, not plan college applications. And our DS has been accelerated, but mildly, as it were. He is clearly a third grader, not a second grader. Sometimes you can tell these things just by looking at your kid among others.
OP, is your DD old or young for grade? If she's old, that would be another reason to skip, along with her feeling more at home with kids a grade above - and, of course, asking for the skip herself.
Last edited by Tigerle; 05/06/15 02:49 AM.
