My 9th grader is in school finally, after I worked like hell to get her in a different school than our home school. Story follows.

My six year old, after being tested for second grade, and academically being ready, is being placed in first grade on the schools recommendation.  I am fine with this and am happy to go with the schools decision, because he seems to fit in there. The teachers will have to work their pants off to keep him challenged, but that's their job.

And... After having my kindergartner in kindergarten for a month, I pulled her out today.

She was just almost 5 when she started, and despite being academically ready, she is a firecracker, and when she doesn't want to do something, she doesn't.

The teacher told me "She is the only student I have that is academically able to do the work, but totally unwilling. she just lays her head on the table." So after much deliberation and stress, I decided to pull her out of Kindergarten, and keep her back for that extra year.

Technically in many states, she would not have been allowed to start kindergarten this year, but CA law, lets kids enroll up to the day of December 2.

Yes, I am suffering a lot of stress. Yes I am unsure of my choices.

DAMMIT. I pulled my 9th grader from the school and friends she has grown up with, because of the influence they were having on her, and the stress they were causing her. SO MUCH DRAMA. I have disliked these kids since the 2nd grade. I blame myself, that I wasn't more proactive in getting her to find other friends, because she kept gravitating back to the same people. Granted she went to a really small school. But still, I could have done more.

Well, whats done is done, I am trying to change it now, before her high school years are ruined.

As for Severin my first grader, well, I really believe he will be better off being held back. He is a first grader reading 7th grade level. But it's more important that he is socially well rounded. Academically, he will always be ahead. Skipping a year isn't going to change that. But it will make him the smallest kid in class, and the youngest kid, and the smartest geekiest kid.

I don''t want that. I am not a supermom, looking for superkids.

I am a regular mom, looking for happy kids. Kids that can read big books, but also play soccer, and baseball with the other kids at recess. Kids that have appropraite boundaries for their age.  Kids that have friends that are not destructive.

I want Annika to LIKE kindergarten, not throw a fit everyday when she goes. If she starts out hating school now, when is that going to change?

That's like the dating dilemma, it is always the best in the beginning. If it isn't good then, you may as well forget it.

Yes, I am writing this to convince myself. I lost a lot LOT LOT of sleep over all these decisions, and they may seem trivial, but they set the future up for my kids.

I take my role very seriously. Maybe too much so.

on an up note, my oldest is doing well in college