Also, acs, can I ask what grade you skipped? Mine was second, where they were mostly teaching reading; I was teased as a child, but more for funny clothes/chubbiness than for braininess. Ds won't have those issues (it appears at this point); at least his clothes aren't horrid! Sad, but it *does* matter. And socially he's on par. All of the research I've read has found that skipping rarely makes a difference socially -- either the kids stay on par with where they have been, or they actually do better when closer to their social peers. B is socially adept, especially with adults, and older kids usually get a kick out of him (though, granted, that is usually much older kids). Bottom line -- I'm not worried about him socially, and I think he'll adapt to pretty much whatever group of kids he's with.
I also think of my PG cousin, who had social issues, Aspergers, etc., who now at the age of 24 says he wished he *had* been skipped -- his parents opted for the subject acceleration route and he wishes that he had been skipped several times. Looking at my B, I honestly can say that a skip is really the best thing for him in my mind.
I skipped first. I had been very happy in kindergarten and had lots of friends who I got along well with. I was reading (I'm told) at about a 4th grade level when I got to first. I remember enjoying my first few weeks of first grade, but apparently the first grade teacher wanted to teach kids to read and since I already knew how, she thought I should go to second. My best friend and neighbor was in second so everyone thought I would be fine there. My receiving teacher was fabulous--warm and supportive. My friend came down on the day I moved classes and helped me carry my stuff to my new class; I got the desk next to her. It all seemed like a good set-up. But it turned out that my best friend was my "home" best friend and that she had a whole different group of friends at school who were very different than me. Now it became her job to manage her two lives and her two sets of friends. I think it was very hard on her--the poor girl was only 6 after all. I definitely felt that I no longer fit with my first grade friends and my second-grade best friend clearly did not want me hanging around her and her "cooler" friends at school. I started crying a lot and acting out on the playground. If anyone noticed, they never said anything. I never told my mother because I did not want her to feel bad.
I also remember the hope I felt that I would fit in academically in second grade, but after 2 weeks I was at the top of the class, displacing the highest kids in second. One of them never forgot it, and still had hard feelings at our 10 year reunion (I know this because his wife told me!).
None of this was probably any more traumatic than it would have been to move schools. By high school I had made my own friends and was quite active in various organizations. But skipping was hard and I never really grew to like that I was skipped. I
do like my life now; I would not have the husband or life I have without my skip. So I am at peace with it. But I did get a knot in my stomach just now as I described the feelings I had back then; the 6 year old is still in there.
I have read all the data about skipping, and I do think there is a place for it for some kids. But I do know several who were skipped and did not like it. When you read that *most* kids do well with a skip, that means that there are some who did not.
