Ah ... so it seems that the "best friend" issue was big for you -- did you feel guilty, it sounds like, for your best friend's tough time? Were you ever asked if you should be moved? Did they take your opinion into account? I think that can make a big difference.
I thought it was pretty cool that I was skipped, and very glad to do it -- to get out of that environment was heaven on earth. I, too, was quickly at the top of my new class, but at least it wasn't the top of the super-SUPER easy material!
I guess it all comes down to individual circumstances ... Of course not all kids do well with a skip. But I have my own set of experiences, I have my older sister's experiences (also skipped second), I have my cousin's experiences (wishes he'd been skipped), and there's plenty of research supporting acceleration. Certainly personal anecdotes will be different ... but on the whole, it seems that acceleration is in *most* EG/PG children's best interests.
We can agree to disagree ... and don't think I haven't given this a ton of thought. In the end, I, as the parent of my own particular child, don't want to wait for a problem to arise before being proactive about it. I think waiting for a problem would be worse *for him* than doing something prophylactically.
One of them never forgot it, and still had hard feelings at our 10 year reunion (I know this because his wife told me!).
And this? Seriously. Get over it, man!
It was second grade! Jeesh.
