Mia wrote:
"When I look at the "social issues" for boys ... I'm not that impressed. I think being teased has less to do with size or sports ability than it does to do with personality and vulnerability -- issues that would likely be there if the child were grade skipped or not. I know plenty of tiny adult men who were *not* teased as children."
You are exactly right! And I am so thrilled that, right now anyway, we have a confident and joyful little boy. I have pulled him out of the Montessori school, with his full blessing.
Today he went to Mother's Day Out at our church, which is held two days a week for about 5 hours. It was a lot of fun, and he made some new friends. He walked right into the room of strangers this morning and said, "Hi, Guys! Can I play?" Several of the other 4 yr. olds just sort of looked at him, but he sat down and joined in on the fun.
I just wanted to make the point that there are are so many facets to this discussion, and I really want my husband to feel that his voice will be heard. He is so open to all of the new things we are discovering about the PG world. And I should stress that we are NOT the kind of parents to push DS into sports. That's really not a concern of ours at this point. We will follow his lead in that department. But I do want to acknowledge some of DH's concerns. Several of you have discussed what can make a happy child withdraw, though. You make an excellent point when it comes to the social aspect of skipping:
"And I always like to point out that an unhappy, bored, frustrated kid isn't likely to make friends easily or get picked early for kickball teams either. Finding a "good enough" educational solution often makes the social thing work out, simply because the kid feels happier." - Kriston
This is exactly what we were dealing with at DS's former school. I am already starting to see a difference in his attitude toward learning, just in the few weeks that we've started home schooling.
Which brings me to another question:
Do any of you recommend a home school curriculum that you really love? (DS is four. He will be eligible for kindergarten in the fall.)
Feel free to point me to another forum/thread. There are so many different threads that I thought I might ask a few kindred spirits first.
Thanks again and again for your involvement,
Allison
