When we went to Madi’s class party at the horse barn, I was mainly worried about her having a good experience. It was one of those “who cares if I have both earrings in or two different colored socks” days, where all my attention was on her every move.
What I was unprepared for was the question that every parent asked me, “what kindergarten class was your daughter in last year?” Harmless enough question, considering we were new, but the answer is a bit more complicated.
Because…Madi is skipping kindergarten, and there is just no easy way to explain it. You would think that I would know exactly what to say, considering I skipped kindergarten too, but being on the kid side versus the parent side is more difficult than I expected.
When you are asked as a kid why you are younger than everyone else, you just say that you skipped a grade, they say okay, and you move on. When a parent asks, they want to know the reasons behind the decision, and it is hard not to feel weird about explaining it.
I almost didn’t want to approach the issue with Madi’s school when Ben and I started talking about it last spring. I didn’t want to be “those parents” that insist their kids are brilliant…in a condescending way. But as we talked to her teachers, other professionals, and prayed our hearts out, we came to the decision that we were going to put her in first grade.
It wasn’t an easy decision, and I would be lying if I said that I was completely at ease with the possible implications. She is a fiercely intelligent girl, but she is more comfortable with adults than her peers. She can read anything you put in front of her, but she may not totally recognize the phonics blends behind the words. She may have kids in her class that are turning eight, while she doesn’t turn six until March.
I can relate to some of the situations she will face…to be the youngest and one of the smartest in the class, to be somewhat intimidated by the other kids, to get your drivers license later than everyone else, to be a college freshman at 16…
What I can’t relate to is the awkward conversations about her abilities, the anxiety that we are making the wrong decision, and the realization that ultimately we are giving up one more year of her in our house before college.
All these thoughts trip across my mind whenever someone asks me that dreadful question, and my answer is usually unintelligible. But what I do know is God has Madi in His hands, the safest possible place, and we have to trust His guidance, especially with a decision like this…with a capital “D”.
And hey, kindergarten is just next door, if it doesn’t work out…
– Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
