Apropos of nothing at all, I wanted to issue a call to my colleagues and readers to avoid letting their children skip grades in school. I know there are a lot of very bright people here, and presumably their children will be likewise.
Some of you may know my history, that I graduated high school at age 14.
Later, at age 20, I was in the room when a child prodigy who had been pushed and pushed by his parents went insane. He was 16.
He is still alive, a gibbering hulk fueled by psychotropic medications.
My children have all stayed with their age-appropriate grade level. They have the pleasures that I never had, being best in class, always having high grades, valedictorian etc. I'm grateful to have been able to give them that.
Thanks Jay. A friend of mine in grade school had been promoted 1 year ahead and his physical immaturity was a problem. He was a good kid and things were much tougher for him than they should have been. I think his parents could have challenged him after hours, instead they eventually had to send him to private school and while I think he did OK academically, I believe he missed out on a lot of social interaction. It's tough enough being a kid already.
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