An article in the New York Times discusses a growing trend of holding back children from kindergarten to give them percieved advantages later in their academic careers.  Click here to read the article for yourself.  Reportedly, more and more parents are holding their children back from their slotted start-date so that they will be the biggest, most prepared students rather than the smallest, not-ready students.  There are critics out there that will debate both sides of this issue.  I'm one of them.

Certainly no parent wants their kid to be the victim of teasing or ridicule due to their size or maturity, so, understandably, some parents hold their children back from kindergarten.  Worried about self-esteem issues and others that go hand-in-hand, parents make a choice.  I'm not sure if this motivation is always the right one, though.  There is no guarantee that states your child will grow or progress to the desired level during the next year.  Sometimes it is being around children who are more mature that helps others to "catch on". 

Other parents hold their children back because, developmentally, they may be behind.  While I understand this reasoning, too, there is no guarantee that their development will either speed up or slow down to match the continual change within the peer-body.  It is a hard thing to predict.  While they may be slow by today's appearances, tomorrow that same child may seem light-years ahead because, in reality, they are. 

It is a difficult thing to decide, but I think it must be done with the child's best academic interests in mind.  Like potty training a toddler, timing is everything.  Make sure it is the right time for each individual child.