Just a little food for thought from yet another perspective. :-)
We live in Florida where the cutoff is September 1st. Our DS7 has a late November birthday, so he started K when he was 5 going on 6, as per the Florida state requirements. He is now in second grade and not only highly gifted, but also in the 99th percentile on the growth charts and already a skilled golfer. He's a very happy and easy going child. It's absolutely amazing how many people judge us that we have somehow done something wrong by placing him in the grade REQUIRED by our state. Our midwest friends and family (we're from Michigan where the cutoff is December 1), especially, assume that we've "held him back" for sports which is offensive and ridiculous. He's simply in the grade he's supposed to be in...and we have found a school staffed with teachers who appreciate and foster his gifts. Not to mention that we provide him with plenty of outside stimulation to feed his never ending curiosity and need to know. And, yes, he's tall and, yes, he plays sports. So what? Can't a child be both??? Can't a parent take BOTH things into consideration? It's truly amazing how many people assume he must not be bright because he is SO BIG and he's had early success at sports! Especially people with other gifted children. Ugh.
I empathize with you. My kid is 9 and 5 feet 5 inches tall, and weighs in at around 130 lbs. He's a tall drink of water. Not only is he profoundly gifted, but because his birthday fell after the cut off we too had to delay school for a year. In our case, my kid is approached quarterly to play football. He has zero interest. He's a soccer kid all the way. We have been asked if we held him back because he's a big and tall kid to play sports. I can't tell you how many times I have had to roll my eyes, sigh and say, "really?"
It's mind blowing to me that people even ask such a question. Then again, he's mistaken for 15 years old most of the time, and when he behaves like a 9 year old I get those looks as well. But then again, he behaves much better than most 15 year olds, so go figure:):)
