Overachieving: The dilemma of the 6-year old blue belt

I was a blackbelt at 12 years old, and I wanted it so bad! maybe not at 6 though I would leave him for a year or 2, but i dont have any children i dont know! i was more of a shy kid so leaving behind friends would not have been an issue for me. I was always friends with older kids and i think that helped me mature quicker. i dont think either choice is a mistake :)

Yes, I faced this probem with my daughter. Am exam is taken when a child is between 10-12 years old to go to High School. A kid does not automatically go to High School. They could go to a school where there is more training in vocational areas. Kids study hard to pass this exam. example - 50,000 children may take the exam for the ten thousand places available. So you get my drift? They have to score really high to get a place in High School. To our amazement she passed at 10 years old for a prestigious Boarding School. We had misgivings but there was no guarrantee that she would pass it the following year so she went. Very difficult when the girls were all reaching puberty and she wasn't etc. Emotionally she was not ready but academically succeeded. So this was a series of firsts. She graduated from High School at 15 but could not go to College until 16. She was a trained teacher at 19. Taught for a year then went to University where she got a First Class Honours at 22 years. Then went to the US where she taught and went to school part time and did her Masters 4.0 average. At 28, back home and married they want her to teach full time at University (she lectures part time and works full time at an International school) but she would need to begin her PHD. But she is not ready as enjoys teaching children. As an adult she has spoken of how difficult it was for her at times as she was always the baby of the class. I suppose it all depends on how mature your son is emotionally. It is such a difficult decision to make. I probably haven't been any help but think carefully and take advice. Perhaps he should be seen by a guidance counsellor first before a decision is made.

Can't he do both. I mean half his time with his peers and the other half with the older kids?

Hi bounce! Congrats to your son!! Blue belt - woo hoo! He must be super proud - and I'm sure you must be too! Our kids are in tae kwon do as well. Our Master has all levels/ages together in our studio - I think only black belts and adults have their own separate class. My 8 year old daughter is about to become high green. My 3 year old son, well, he takes the class unofficially as a white belt the Master invited him to join in (since about 3 months ago). I say unofficially because I don't pay for him and he is not allowed to test. Believe it or not, he actually listens and does the forms and sparring - but it's hard for him to do some of the physical feats (plus he's very short - oh, it can be comedy relief sometimes!). We had no intentions of putting him in tae kwon do until he could truly decide he wanted to commit to it. He does say that he loves it, but we wanted him to experience various things before he said "this" was "it" (like what we did for our daughter). He can follow directions for a little guy, but we weren't sure he should have this kind of discipline so young (the Master is tough). And he would be with other kids who were much older who can do all this stuff seriously. So after a couple months of this, he has shown that he CAN handle it . . . and it's good he is enjoying his time in the class with the big kids (and actually learning) rather than sitting with me for 45 minutes waiting for his sister to be done. That being said, I will say our decision was made "easier" because we are not paying for him to be in class! What does your son say he wishes to do?

Oh, that IS a dilemma. I think you should ask your son if he wants to do it. If it doesn't work out for him, you could still stop the really advanced classes. But if he's that talented, maybe you should take advantage of that, because if you never try, you never know if he would succeed, and also, this may be a chance that you would regret later, if you don't take it. But of course, if you see that your son is not coping well or starts to act negligent or strange or not that enthusiastic enough, you should stop it.

i remember years ago when a preschool opened right here in our village. my mother promptly enrolled our youngest sibling, but she only lasted a month. not ready yet. one-year's tuition wasted. many other schools have sprung up and i've heard from my sister-in-law that they now have "summer" class as a test if the first-time student is ready and willing to enroll come june. i think carmela's suggestion is a good compromise. the teacher will be able to assess if he's ready or not. at the same time, the little guy will know for himself if he likes it and his classmates and still want to go on. if he doesn't agree to a few free sessions, then shorter times or a discount. who knows, he might even be willing to coach a potential champion. so have you yourself gone through the same thing growing up? (heck, i wasn't advanced anything, even childhood games!)

Well personally, to me if you feel your son is not ready, what would be the harm of having him wait a few years? You would think they wouldbe able to deal with this easier with other solutions? But first ask your son what he is wanting to do and then go from there. 6 is still young to be pushing him towards something he might not be ready for.

I would let him be a kid. I would not put him in with the older class.That is just me. Perhaps there will be opportunities for him to practice casually with the older, more advanced class without making him go to class with them all the time. Are there no other six year olds in the advanced class?

I believe children has their own talents in different areas. I do not face this situation before, as my son is still very young. I will always choose which is better for him in his development. I am not sure if a 6 year old boy being put in the advanced class, will the advanced training affecting his natural physical and mental development? Is he willing or ready to go for the advanced class? I understand he can go for the higher belt, but will he be happy when he is placed among a much older kids? Also, is the training in advanced class suitable for a 6 year old boy?

There is a 6 year old blue belt in my son's advanced class. Really, if your son can act up to expectations, why not? But if you don't think he can cope, talk to the teacher and see what they suggest.

Congratulations to him! That's some achievement. I've never had such a dilemma. Can the teachers come to some sort of compromise, where he could train with the bigger kids sometimes and get the best of both worlds?

Why don't you ask him instead of worrying about it yourself?

Maybe the most important thing is to ask him which group will he be the happiest. That should count a lot.

the dilemma strikes them badly if they are under or overachieved,they are in their ranks and treasure it and always make a wise move to their needs

I think you know your son best. My son never got into sports like that, but his older brother and sister. both being big gamers, (hence the Minecraft discussion)he was playing Zelda at 4. Of course he wasn't fighting any bosses or anything, but he wanted to play and his sister let him play. So I guess what I am saying is, is your son willing to go through an advance class? Is it possible to ask the instructor if your son can take 1-2 classes either for free or a discount to see if he is ready?

Can't say as I have ever truly been faced with such a situation.. though if I were, I'd choose his own age group.. he'll have time to move up to other age groups when he gets older.

My daughter skipped one class at school. In the 3rd grade she already was one of the youngest, so you can imagine the age difference as she came in the 5th grade. Still she loves to learn and although she is not interested in what the other(s) girls do, (she is still way more intelligent as they are) she is in the right class. So I would advice you to talk to your son and ask him what he wants. I assume tae kwon do is not daily or?

wow he must be good. Id be so darn proud of him.