Zeno's Bar & Grill

I read about an interesting trend where parents are holding back their five-year-olds (mostly sons) from starting Kindergarten, waiting instead until they are 6. The logic goes that the boys will be able to compete (there’s that word again, it pops up a lot with regard to our children doesn’t it?) better in academics and in the ever-important soccer leagues.

That seems good, except that it is turning into a vicious circle. As Kindergarten curricula get tougher more parents are holding their kids back. This puts children whose parents can’t afford another year of daycare/pre-school at a disadvantage.

Maybe age is too arbitrary a method. When I was a child, there was a particular National Geographic that my dad always talked about that said that in some cultures they would know if a child was ready for school if he could reach over the top of his head and touch the top of his ear. My six-year-old could almost reach his lobe, my four-year-old was a couple inches short. Seems like five is probably the magic age.

--Kelly