My birthday is in November and I couldn't start public school until I was six. So my parents sent me to private school for kindergarten and first grade. I was six when I entered 2nd grade in public schools.

My son has an October birthday so the same thing applied. We sent him to preschool and then kindergarten. At the end of kindergarten the teacher and principal met with us to discuss whether or not he should go into first grade or repeat Kindergarten.

He was very intelligent -- the question was never about academics. He'd been somewhat immature earlier in the year and had matured toward the end of the year. They said they really couldn't advise us in one way or the other -- that if his immaturity had kept up they would definitely have advised us to have him repeat, but now we were kind of at an in between place.

But the principal told me something I've never forgotten. She said, "You'll never regret having your son be one of the oldest and most mature in his class. You may regret it if he's one of the youngest and least mature."

That slammed home, and we had him repeat.

We NEVER regretted it, even though we were immediately deluged with phone calls from moms who couldn't believe we were holding him back, because he was so far ahead of their own kids who were going into first grade. They kept telling us we shouldn't do it. But we did, and were glad.

Looking back on things, I think it's highly likely I would have done better if I'd waited to start school instead of going early. I know of ways my own maturity (or lack of it) put me in some situations that I wouldn't have gotten in with a year's more experience under my belt.

If it were me, I'd be looking for ways to stimulate my daughter's intellect (in or out of class) without moving her ahead a year. By the time you're a teenager, there are enough challenges out there without adding being younger than your peers to them.