Parenting can feel like a wild rollercoaster ride, and that’s especially true when you leave the hospital with your tiny bundle of joy. It’s a real-life version of “What do I do now?” as you find yourself wandering around the house, staring at the pristine nursery and the gift mountain of toys that seem utterly useless. Every morning begins with a heart racing faster than a toddler on a sugar rush as you frantically check in on your little one, just to breathe easy after confirming they’re still safe and sound.
So why share this little slice of chaos? Well, living in the suburbs of Philadelphia means our daughter’s kindergarten cut-off date is September 1. If she had arrived on her due date, she would have missed that deadline. Instead, we were left grappling with the choice of redshirting her—holding her back a year—or not.
Given her rocky start in life, one might think the decision would be straightforward. But it wasn’t. While she was small, she was a scrappy little fighter, full of confidence. She was petite but also precocious and, academically, quite ready. Sure, there were some tears when we separated, but plenty of older kids had similar moments. Ultimately, it was her spirited nature, already shining through those early days, that helped us decide. So, just a month after she turned five, off she went to school—the youngest in her class.
I can confidently say we made the right choice. Now in seventh grade, she’s thriving socially and academically. But I won’t pretend that guilt doesn’t rear its head occasionally. Watching her tackle math problems or stroll alongside friends who tower over her makes me ponder if we made the right move. However, a recent study published in the Journal of Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology gives me some relief. It found that delaying school entry for a year doesn’t lead to better academic outcomes for either pre-term or full-term kids—and could actually hinder their performance as they grow older.
As co-author Julia Jaekel pointed out, many parents think preterm children should be held back, especially if they were born in the summer. But the study revealed that missing a year of learning opportunities was linked to poorer standardized test scores at age eight for both groups of children.
Phew! Of course, the choice to redshirt is personal, and every family must weigh the pros and cons. While I might still feel guilty about giving my kid the occasional pop tart for breakfast, at least I can finally put this worry on the back burner—until she heads off to college, that is.
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In summary, considering redshirting your child is a heavy decision. Although it can weigh on you, new findings suggest that starting school later may not be as beneficial as once thought, which could ease some of that parental guilt.