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Post by shannoots on Mar 6, 2015 2:03:58 GMT
My son is in middle school and one of the youngest in his class. He has a late July birthday so some of the kids are a year older. We really struggled with the decision on whether or not to send him to school when he was 5 but all of his teachers encouraged us to. Anyway, it is what it is at this point and we can't change the fact that he's one of the youngest now. Academically, he does quite well. However, he does seem really immature in comparison to his classmates. He is on a new baseball team this year and I can hear him talking to his teammates at practice. I can see them rolling their eyes at him and often walking away. He isn't getting their signals and just keeps it up. I don't know how to handle this...do I talk to him or should I let it go and see if he figures it out? I don't want to hurt his feelings by saying something but I'm afraid he could alienate himself. I keep thinking that he will mature a bit in the next few months. Maybe?
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Post by 950nancy on Mar 6, 2015 2:19:06 GMT
I am the mom who sent her son to kindergarten at six- a large six. It really doesn't seem to matter what we do as parents, we just seem to second guess ourselves. I also teach fifth graders and know that kids are just who they are. Sometimes the oldest kids in my class are the most immature. I would definitely talk to him about reading signals from the other kids. There are many ways to tell our kids things they must learn. I would just make sure you do it when neither one of you is frustrated with the situation. Take him out to eat with just the two of you and near the end of the meal kindly talk to him about signals. Move it into what you have seen and tell him it is just a part of growing up and all kids learn these things in time. Then mention a wonderful trait that he has and leave it at that. If he is anything like my boys, he will deny or act like it isn't a problem but he will think about it. It is our job to guide our kids and sometimes give them tough lessons in the most loving environment possible. Good luck.
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scrappinwithoutpeas
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,215 
Location: Northern Virginia
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Post by scrappinwithoutpeas on Mar 6, 2015 2:24:51 GMT
My first take on this would be to maybe talk to some of the other parents of kids on the team, depending on how well you know them. Or introduce yourself if you don't know them yet - it might be a good opportunity especially if he's new to the team. Might just mention to them that your DS likes the team, the game, etc., wants to learn as much as he can since he has a late birthday and is a few months younger than a lot of his teammates...stuff like that. Just chit-chatting w/the other parents might allow it to trickle down to the kids being more receptive. Maybe?
We had the opposite problem - even though DD also had a late birthday and was one of the youngest in her class at school, her BD placement put her as one of the oldest on her travel soccer team. She usually played with a whole team full of girls who were one full grade behind her in school, and there was quite a difference in maturity level that became more apparent in the MS/early teen years. Game-wise it was fine, but she didn't have a lot of interest in doing things socially with them.
ETA: In re-reading what I wrote, I didn't mean to make it sound like the teammates just didn't want to associate with him - :shocked:yikes, that's not what I was trying to say! Just that it may be different when the one different-aged child on a team is on the older end instead of the younger. Definitely have a talk with your son like the previous poster said.
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luvnlifelady
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,428
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Post by luvnlifelady on Mar 6, 2015 4:15:38 GMT
Can you maybe have another boy from the team over so they can bond one-on-one? Then you can really get an idea on how he interacts with each particular boy and maybe he'll find a couple that he really clicks with. Good luck. Watching our kids struggle socially is hard. DD will be 18 in a couple weeks and has always had trouble making friends since our move almost 10 years ago.
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Post by elaine on Mar 6, 2015 4:27:44 GMT
Many schools in our district have lunch bunch type meetings once a week with the school social worker or counselor. The goal is to teach and practice social skills in a group setting. You can talk with your son's middle school counselor/social worker about possibilities in school.
Many communities also have therapists who specialize in leading social skills groups for teens. Many boys have issues with social skills, including those who are on those who are on the Aspergers side of the spectrum - they excel academically, but don't do well reading social cues. Many boys have to be taught what many girls just pick up in terms of appropriate social behavior. I would look into a social skills group for your son - it will help in all areas of his life, not just sports.
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Post by Basket1lady on Mar 6, 2015 4:40:03 GMT
Many schools in our district have lunch bunch type meetings once a week with the school social worker or counselor. The goal is to teach and practice social skills in a group setting. You can talk with your son's middle school counselor/social worker about possibilities in school. Many communities also have therapists who specialize in leading social skills groups for teens. Many boys have issues with social skills, including those who are on those who are on the Aspergers side of the spectrum - they excel academically, but don't do well reading social cues. Many boys have to be taught what many girls just pick up in terms of appropriate social behavior. I would look into a social skills group for your son - it will help in all areas of his life, not just sports. I was thinking this as well. Our school counselors have been good at helping us over the years. DS has Asperger's and is on the young side for his grade. We struggled with the decision of whether to send him to K at 5, but academically he tested as meeting 95% of the goals for K. And that was BEFORE he even started K. I'm not saying that your son has Asperger's. There are tons of boys who mature more slowly, and some kids that just seem born with those innate social skills. But similar resources may help your son blend in better. In my experience, 6th grade boys just love to needle each other. I pi would have a talk with him and point out some obvious signals that the other boys are giving your DS. I personally wouldn't talk to another parent whom I don't know about it, but I would try to have your DS make some friends with the other team mates. |
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 20:03:58 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2015 6:56:04 GMT
Can you maybe have another boy from the team over so they can bond one-on-one? Then you can really get an idea on how he interacts with each particular boy and maybe he'll find a couple that he really clicks with. Good luck. Watching our kids struggle socially is hard. DD will be 18 in a couple weeks and has always had trouble making friends since our move almost 10 years ago. This is a good idea. I would talk to the coach about having him set your son up with a buddy. DS had a friend in kindergarten and they were one month apart in age. The teacher felt the girl should repeat kindergarten and DS should progress to grade 1. I observed both children on a regular basis and never noticed a difference in age between them. Honestly, I think your son will catch up. Some kids just mature faster than others do (if your son does not have a developmental disability, then my opinion will change). |
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Post by Miss Ang on Mar 6, 2015 12:00:33 GMT
I wouldn't mention to your son specifically that kids are rolling their eyes at him.  But that doesn't mean you can't "role play" with him and try to improve his social skills a bit. Lots of ideas on Pinterest for games to help with social skills. |
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Post by jenb72 on Mar 6, 2015 12:11:40 GMT
This was my DS. His birthday is July 5th and he started school right after he turned 5 and played baseball for many years (he's 13 now and didn't play fall this year - won't be playing spring, either - he wants to do other things). I noticed the same thing in regards to the kids on his team. He would annoy them or say things that they would snicker at. It hurt, a lot, but I left it alone. He had to find his own way and figure it out. We all do. We all go through our awkward phases in life. And there will always be kids that find him annoying, even when he has close friends on the team. He will learn to figure out who his friends are and how to fit in. You bringing attention to it with him might only end up making him self-conscious and then he may not feel like interacting at all. Be glad that he feels confident enough to talk to these kids, even if they find him annoying.
Jen
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Post by anxiousmom on Mar 6, 2015 12:34:08 GMT
I have a kid with a July birthday also. He was always the youngest in his class and his maturity level was rarely on the same level as the majority of the class. In a lot of ways, we were lucky because he attended a small, private school that was more nurturing (a religious school) to the kids so it didn't stand out as much except when he was mixed with kids from other schools. It was hard to watch sometimes, and I know that I asked many times in pre-school, kindergarten and even first grade whether or not I should consider holding him back. One thing my kid had going was that he is very academically competitive so even though his peers were more mature, he was the one who couldn't stand being second in any subject. I often though that got him a measure of acceptance.
I would like to give you some encouragement though-it does even out. The kid is 16 now, still one of the youngest in his class, but the maturity level of the kids has leveled out. When he was younger, I took my cues from him. If he was upset by how the other kids treated him, then we talked about it. One thing I noticed though was that I looked at the other kids behaviors through adult eyes and saw all the negative ways I thought he was being treated. But he didn't always see it the same way, sometimes that same immaturity meant that he interpreted the social cues differently and didn't take offense. Think of it like watching a group of lions-the older ones allow the little one to play right up to the point that they annoy the older ones-who then growl, push them away, or some other kind of "go away you are a pain in my ass" behavior.
My advice is to take is slowly. Unless there are neurological reasons for missing the cues, it is not atypical for a kid to miss some things. Middle school is weird anyway, and you are coming up on the time where it really does start to catch up, but is obvious until he does. If he says something, you can answer those questions, but unless he does, I would tread carefully. Sometimes we parents can make it worse by putting a name on something and shining a light on a problem that may not really be a problem.
(caveat: Unless there is bullying behavior. THAT has to be addressed.)
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momto4kiddos
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,156
Jun 26, 2014 11:45:15 GMT
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Post by momto4kiddos on Mar 6, 2015 12:43:04 GMT
Other than what you've noticed with the baseball team, what have you noticed? Does he have a couple good friends that he hangs out with? Are there concerns at school with this?
I have a ds who is a senior in high school. He went to fairly small schools through 5th grade (2 classes per grade). So the teachers/staff new the kids quite well. Always said he was well liked, etc. He had good friends around the neighborhood.
I did notice the same thing you noticed and oddly enough it was at baseball too. He was definitely more immature than some of the others and i'd even see kids walk away from him on occasion. As a mother it's definitely tough, but he seemed to go with the flow and moved on so I didn't address it with him.
We ended up sending him to a private high school in the area, maybe 5 kids he knew went to the school. He's done well - has made new friends, kept some of the old. I honestly like the kids he hangs out with, they're good kids! My point is even if they are a little on the immature side and don't mesh with everyone, they're likely not alone or an outcast. If he's doing well in other areas, don't worry so much about the baseball.
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purplebee
Drama Llama
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Post by purplebee on Mar 6, 2015 12:43:13 GMT
This was my DS. His birthday is July 5th and he started school right after he turned 5 and played baseball for many years (he's 13 now and didn't play fall this year - won't be playing spring, either - he wants to do other things). I noticed the same thing in regards to the kids on his team. He would annoy them or say things that they would snicker at. It hurt, a lot, but I left it alone. He had to find his own way and figure it out. We all do. We all go through our awkward phases in life. And there will always be kids that find him annoying, even when he has close friends on the team. He will learn to figure out who his friends are and how to fit in. You bringing attention to it with him might only end up making him self-conscious and then he may not feel like interacting at all. Be glad that he feels confident enough to talk to these kids, even if they find him annoying. Jen My son was a lot like this in middle school. He was/is a talker, and never knew when to keep quiet. I know he was annoying to his classmates and teammates, and some of the older kids would pick on him. He could never just walk away. I tried to advise him that sometimes just not responding would send the teasers on to someone else. But he just couldn't do it. He is now 19, and is one of the most personable people you could ever meet. He never meets a stranger, and he has been comfortable interacting with adults from a very young age. He is a singer/musician and has no qualms about getting up and performing in front of anyone. He is very confident, but I think it is all bound up in his outgoing personality. Yes, it made life difficult at times in school, but eventually he learned to use it to his advantage. Good luck! I feel your pain! |
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Post by shannoots on Mar 6, 2015 13:36:30 GMT
Can you maybe have another boy from the team over so they can bond one-on-one? Then you can really get an idea on how he interacts with each particular boy and maybe he'll find a couple that he really clicks with. Good luck. Watching our kids struggle socially is hard. DD will be 18 in a couple weeks and has always had trouble making friends since our move almost 10 years ago. He does have a friend on the team from school. He has been over, spent the night, etc...They seem to get along great and this friend isn't afraid of telling him if he's being annoying (not in a mean way-he seems to handle it appropriately, if there is such a way). If they are in the same group at practice, my son is fine and talks to his friend. It is when he is in a different group than his friend that he is having issues. Part of it, for me, is that he has been on the same team since he was 8. He felt comfortable with them and he's trying to find his way on this new team. |
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 20:03:58 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2015 13:42:52 GMT
Can you maybe have another boy from the team over so they can bond one-on-one? Then you can really get an idea on how he interacts with each particular boy and maybe he'll find a couple that he really clicks with. Good luck. Watching our kids struggle socially is hard. DD will be 18 in a couple weeks and has always had trouble making friends since our move almost 10 years ago. He does have a friend on the team from school. He has been over, spent the night, etc...They seem to get along great and this friend isn't afraid of telling him if he's being annoying (not in a mean way-he seems to handle it appropriately, if there is such a way). If they are in the same group at practice, my son is fine and talks to his friend. It is when he is in a different group than his friend that he is having issues. Part of it, for me, is that he has been on the same team since he was 8. He felt comfortable with them and he's trying to find his way on this new team. If this is the case. Don't interfer. Sometimes the best lessons are learned the hardway. Yeah, you could do a number of things but in the end this is a path he has to walk. Learning what doesn't work will make him much more open to hearing what does work. Wait until he asks for help or if the issue is much more pervasive. |
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MerryMom
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by MerryMom on Mar 6, 2015 13:52:11 GMT
I think it is better for you to have a talk with him with the suggestions listed above versus a kid his age pointing out that he is annoying them.
I think you will word it much more tactfully versus what a middle school boy might pop off and say.
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Post by shannoots on Mar 6, 2015 13:53:02 GMT
My son was a lot like this in middle school. He was/is a talker, and never knew when to keep quiet. I know he was annoying to his classmates and teammates, and some of the older kids would pick on him. He could never just walk away. I tried to advise him that sometimes just not responding would send the teasers on to someone else. But he just couldn't do it. He is now 19, and is one of the most personable people you could ever meet. He never meets a stranger, and he has been comfortable interacting with adults from a very young age. He is a singer/musician and has no qualms about getting up and performing in front of anyone. He is very confident, but I think it is all bound up in his outgoing personality. Yes, it made life difficult at times in school, but eventually he learned to use it to his advantage. Good luck! I feel your pain! This gives me some hope. My son is a talker (comes by it naturally  ). I say he talks just to hear himself talk sometimes. But he is very personable and can talk to anyone. |
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Post by shannoots on Mar 6, 2015 13:57:02 GMT
Other than what you've noticed with the baseball team, what have you noticed? Does he have a couple good friends that he hangs out with? Are there concerns at school with this? I have a ds who is a senior in high school. He went to fairly small schools through 5th grade (2 classes per grade). So the teachers/staff new the kids quite well. Always said he was well liked, etc. He had good friends around the neighborhood. I did notice the same thing you noticed and oddly enough it was at baseball too. He was definitely more immature than some of the others and i'd even see kids walk away from him on occasion. As a mother it's definitely tough, but he seemed to go with the flow and moved on so I didn't address it with him. We ended up sending him to a private high school in the area, maybe 5 kids he knew went to the school. He's done well - has made new friends, kept some of the old. I honestly like the kids he hangs out with, they're good kids! My point is even if they are a little on the immature side and don't mesh with everyone, they're likely not alone or an outcast. If he's doing well in other areas, don't worry so much about the baseball. I don't know how it is at school. Now that he's in middle school, I'm not involved like I was in elementary. As I mentioned, he does have a friend on his team from school. I have seen them interact quite a bit and they seem to get along great. He talks about all kinds of friends from school but he doesn't hang out with them outside of school. |
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Post by shannoots on Mar 6, 2015 14:03:13 GMT
. It was hard to watch sometimes, and I know that I asked many times in pre-school, kindergarten and even first grade whether or not I should consider holding him back. One thing my kid had going was that he is very academically competitive so even though his peers were more mature, he was the one who couldn't stand being second in any subject. I often though that got him a measure of acceptance. I would like to give you some encouragement though-it does even out. The kid is 16 now, still one of the youngest in his class, but the maturity level of the kids has leveled out. When he was younger, I took my cues from him. If he was upset by how the other kids treated him, then we talked about it. One thing I noticed though was that I looked at the other kids behaviors through adult eyes and saw all the negative ways I thought he was being treated. But he didn't always see it the same way, sometimes that same immaturity meant that he interpreted the social cues differently and didn't take offense. Think of it like watching a group of lions-the older ones allow the little one to play right up to the point that they annoy the older ones-who then growl, push them away, or some other kind of "go away you are a pain in my ass" behavior. My advice is to take is slowly. Unless there are neurological reasons for missing the cues, it is not atypical for a kid to miss some things. Middle school is weird anyway, and you are coming up on the time where it really does start to catch up, but is obvious until he does. If he says something, you can answer those questions, but unless he does, I would tread carefully. Sometimes we parents can make it worse by putting a name on something and shining a light on a problem that may not really be a problem. (caveat: Unless there is bullying behavior. THAT has to be addressed.) My son is pretty smart and does well academically. He likes to talk about things he learned in school, which is great to talk about with us. However, this is one of the things I have heard him talking about at baseball. Most kids don't want to talk about school outside of school (or even in!). He has not gone through puberty or started, from what I can tell. Most of his classmates/teammates have at least started and some are pretty manly so there is a big difference there. |
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Post by shannoots on Mar 6, 2015 14:05:25 GMT
This was my DS. His birthday is July 5th and he started school right after he turned 5 and played baseball for many years (he's 13 now and didn't play fall this year - won't be playing spring, either - he wants to do other things). I noticed the same thing in regards to the kids on his team. He would annoy them or say things that they would snicker at. It hurt, a lot, but I left it alone. He had to find his own way and figure it out. We all do. We all go through our awkward phases in life. And there will always be kids that find him annoying, even when he has close friends on the team. He will learn to figure out who his friends are and how to fit in. You bringing attention to it with him might only end up making him self-conscious and then he may not feel like interacting at all. Be glad that he feels confident enough to talk to these kids, even if they find him annoying. Jen This is what I'm worried about if I say something. I don't want him to always be second guessing himself. I tend to think he will work it out but it is hard to watch. |
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Post by maryland on Mar 6, 2015 14:09:29 GMT
That is my daughters exactly! They are 15 and 17 now, and both have July birthdays and are the youngest in their class. And they also have done great academically! The oldest is ranked 31/589 students, even being so young. Same with my 15 yr. old (top 7% in her class). We are glad we didn't hold them back, because they are so smart that they would have been so bored. But we also went through the immaturity. No behavior issues, and really not a problem now, but until 9th grade it was more of an issue. My oldest gets mad because I still had her in Children's Place clothes in 6th grade! But she was small, and the other girls looked like 14 yr. olds. It was more of an issue because of her being so much younger than the other girls in her class. So she says I dressed her like a baby. She has recovered, and is "cool" now!!  haha! We have also dealt with annoying friends over the years. I understand how you feel, as we went through it! The age difference does get easier as they get into high school. The annoying friends continues! |
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Country Ham
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,316
Jun 25, 2014 19:32:08 GMT
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Post by Country Ham on Mar 6, 2015 14:15:21 GMT
Is he annoying his friends, or his teammates on his new ball team? To me those are different things. My son's friends "get" him. They are a funny, goofy, academically smart, but a non athletic group of boys. They are good kids. They do get along with everyone but could seem silly to outsiders. My son decided to play on a basketball league for 8 weeks. When I saw some of his interactions on the court with his team I cringed a bit. He didn't seem to fit into the socialization of a sport's team, especially with kids who have played together for a couple of years. He seemed about a half a beat behind the rest. Because they get along as a peer group off the court I wasn't worried about being made fun of, but watching them I also realize that my son will not be part of that clique either. Friendly to each other yes, invited to a movie night/sleep over at their homes, not gonna happen. That's OK though. He has his friends. It is hard for someone in those shoes to make new friends.
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Post by Leone on Mar 6, 2015 14:50:24 GMT
Having taught school for 29 years, what you are dealing with is exactly why few teachers ever start their sons on time. It's one of those dirty little secrets. I always advised parents that any birthday from May or later is a sure thing that your son needs the gift of time to grow up. It is miserable to be the youngest boy in a class.
Schools are the cheapest child care available so it's a hard sell sometimes. I've taught school in Watts in Los Angeles and in an elite school where large number of kids end up in Ivy League universities. The parents who are highly educated quickly catch on that it's a real advantage for their sons to be older when taking high stakes tests.
Now my advice for parents of girls is totally different.
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Post by jeremysgirl on Mar 6, 2015 15:00:01 GMT
I had the opposite problem. My son has always been more mature and wise beyond his years. It probably doesn't help that he has a late October birthday so he is one of the oldest in his class. The kids did not seem to understand him at all when he was younger because he wasn't interested in being very rambunctious or silly like elementary school kids usually are, boys in particular. He would tell a joke and the kids wouldn't know he was joking. It was hard to watch. But I couldn't change his personality, he is who he is. Right about 5th grade or so, some of the kids really started to mature and he began making good friends. He's 13 now and he has good friends that share his interests. He has even made friends with kids older than him who connect with him on computers. He played football 5th and 6th grade but he was never going to be the kid that fit in with the team sport. So I would say, give him time and as long as he has some friends who like and understand him, he will be ok in the long run. Not everyone likes everyone. Maybe the boys on his team just aren't the right fit.
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Post by jenb72 on Mar 6, 2015 15:25:35 GMT
This was my DS. His birthday is July 5th and he started school right after he turned 5 and played baseball for many years (he's 13 now and didn't play fall this year - won't be playing spring, either - he wants to do other things). I noticed the same thing in regards to the kids on his team. He would annoy them or say things that they would snicker at. It hurt, a lot, but I left it alone. He had to find his own way and figure it out. We all do. We all go through our awkward phases in life. And there will always be kids that find him annoying, even when he has close friends on the team. He will learn to figure out who his friends are and how to fit in. You bringing attention to it with him might only end up making him self-conscious and then he may not feel like interacting at all. Be glad that he feels confident enough to talk to these kids, even if they find him annoying. Jen This is what I'm worried about if I say something. I don't want him to always be second guessing himself. I tend to think he will work it out but it is hard to watch. Oh, it's VERY hard to watch, yes, but he will figure out how to make it all work. Like I said, my DS is 13 now and has no trouble making friends. When we moved into our new house in 2013 and he started 7th grade at a new school, he came home the first day talking about his "friend" Tyler and his "friend" Cason. He's still friends with these kids today, a year-and-a-half later. I recently took them and another friend out for an afternoon of fun at our local SkyZone (a trampoline park) and watched them interact. I didn't see any of that awkward kid I used to see. Jen |
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garcia5050
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,815
Location: So. Calif.
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Post by garcia5050 on Mar 6, 2015 15:30:46 GMT
I don't mean to hijack, but I'm confused. How is a July child the youngest in the class? The school cutoff here is now early November, but growing up, it was early December (like the 9th or something like that). The youngest kids in my class were the December birthdays. And some of the most annoying kids were not those December birthdays.
From the time my children were very small, we told them that they don't have to express every single thought that comes into their head, not to talk loud, and don't repeat yourself. i think it would be very hard to change this behavior at a later age. They are 11 and 9 now, and communication is not an issue.
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Post by bc2ca on Mar 6, 2015 16:14:35 GMT
I am the mom who sent her son to kindergarten at six- a large six. It really doesn't seem to matter what we do as parents, we just seem to second guess ourselves. I also teach fifth graders and know that kids are just who they are. Sometimes the oldest kids in my class are the most immature. I would definitely talk to him about reading signals from the other kids. There are many ways to tell our kids things they must learn. I would just make sure you do it when neither one of you is frustrated with the situation. Take him out to eat with just the two of you and near the end of the meal kindly talk to him about signals. Move it into what you have seen and tell him it is just a part of growing up and all kids learn these things in time. Then mention a wonderful trait that he has and leave it at that. If he is anything like my boys, he will deny or act like it isn't a problem but he will think about it. It is our job to guide our kids and sometimes give them tough lessons in the most loving environment possible. Good luck. I'v been there and think 950nancy has given great advice. DS is one of the oldest in his class, bright and very, very chatty and has been known to annoy classmates/teammates. Soccer is his game and even though he plays in a rec league, there are some very competitive, serious players on the team that are not interested in his more relaxed attitude. |
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Post by elaine on Mar 6, 2015 16:17:08 GMT
Here school starts in September and cut-off is September 30.
My younger son has an August birthday, so was one of the younger ones in his grade level. We had to hold him back and repeat kindergarten, and now he is more in line with most in terms of age in his grade level.
It may be that the OP's school system starts in August and has an August cut-off.
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Post by anxiousmom on Mar 6, 2015 16:18:43 GMT
I don't mean to hijack, but I'm confused. How is a July child the youngest in the class? The school cutoff here is now early November, but growing up, it was early December (like the 9th or something like that). The youngest kids in my class were the December birthdays. And some of the most annoying kids were not those December birthdays. From the time my children were very small, we told them that they don't have to express every single thought that comes into their head, not to talk loud, and don't repeat yourself. i think it would be very hard to change this behavior at a later age. They are 11 and 9 now, and communication is not an issue. Our cut off is (if I remember correctly) the start of the school year, which is typically in early to mid-August (this year it was August 14.) So July and August babies are the youngest ones that turn 5 before school starts. |
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Post by shannoots on Mar 6, 2015 18:18:34 GMT
I don't mean to hijack, but I'm confused. How is a July child the youngest in the class? The school cutoff here is now early November, but growing up, it was early December (like the 9th or something like that). The youngest kids in my class were the December birthdays. And some of the most annoying kids were not those December birthdays. From the time my children were very small, we told them that they don't have to express every single thought that comes into their head, not to talk loud, and don't repeat yourself. i think it would be very hard to change this behavior at a later age. They are 11 and 9 now, and communication is not an issue. Our cutoff is July 31. We lived in a different state when he started kindergarten and their cutoff was September 1. His birthday is July 28 so he is right at the cutoff in our current state. |
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Post by alittleintrepid on Mar 6, 2015 18:25:09 GMT
Talk with him. Don't talk to him about how he annoys other people but, instead, talk to him about what makes him want to spend time with other people, specific things that friendly and cool kids do and encourage him to try these behaviours.
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But that doesn't mean you can't "role play" with him and try to improve his social skills a bit. Lots of ideas on Pinterest for games to help with social skills.
). I say he talks just to hear himself talk sometimes. But he is very personable and can talk to anyone. 
haha! We have also dealt with annoying friends over the years. I understand how you feel, as we went through it! The age difference does get easier as they get into high school. The annoying friends continues! 
