Okay I posted to another topic and thought I would direct this question to our milestone discussion...

My DH and I were discussing milestones and the boards comments and he questioned something since we live in the 'best' school district and it appears that the majority of the students fit into the gifted side at that school district. Again we are on the outside looking in and when our DD goes to school we might find we inflated that by these facts: most all the students have tutoring sessions after school every week and almost all the students are in at least one honor's class. We also know that around 25% of the Kindergarten kids come to school knowing how to read.

So the question from my DH is this: Is the milestones realistic or perhaps you are finding that today's society is introducing more to their children at an earlier age? For instance, the colors, some one argued that they typically learn them at 3 b/c that is when they typically start preschool. Around here they start typically around 2. And the preschools tell you with no uncertain terms (even the church social ones) that they view their job as prep for Kindergarten since the kinder kids are required to know how to do powerpoint presentations by the time they finish K. I read the Ruf Kinder requirements in her appendix and did not see that referenced. So maybe the milestones are old research and new studies need to be done or we (my DH and I) have a warped sense of it all b/c of where we live?