What is Kindergarten FOR?

My son is turning 5 in the fall, and we're getting a lot of conflicting advice about kindergarten. Do we send him, and have him be maybe the youngest in his class? Or keep him in preschool even though he did a pre-k program this year and he's going to be bored? He already knows all his letters and numbers and is doing basic math and reading. We really feel like he's ready but teachers and friends are cautioning us. Help!

Joni, in CT

It's spring, and while a young man's fancy may turn to thoughts of love, parents of 4 year olds are thinking about kindergarten! Joni, I would be willing to bet that your little guy is ready for the academic "rigors" of kindergarten. However, that doesn't mean he should go! Consider, please, three issues.

1. Being one of the youngest is often not an academic issue. The maturity and development that teachers are looking for are rarely about letters and numbers. They are hoping for children who are ready to wait, to accept correction, to handle frustration without melting down spectacularly, kids who have some resilience!

2. The struggle a child may experience from being youngest can take a few years to be apparent. It is much easier to give a 4-almost-5 year old something interesting to do for a year while he waits for kindergarten, than to tell a fourth grader, "Hey, we think you'd do a lot better if you were held back a year."

3. Lastly, and most importantly, consider this. He may be ready to go kindergarten while he is still four. Will you be ready to send him away to college when he is only 17?

Despite these reasons to wait,

you are the expert in your child!

If you feel that he is best served trying kindergarten this coming fall, then pursue your options. Do ask the opinion of some educators you trust. Then go with your gut, and remember - you can change course at the end of this year if you feel like he needs a different path.

What IS kindergarten for?

Learning, for sure. But, even though there is a lot of academic learning in K classrooms these days, character development is really the specialty of these amazing teachers. For what it's worth, I failed kindergarten! That's right - based on (if my mother is to be believed) the fact that I could not skip or hop, my gross motor skills were

"not up to par and so we recommend that Deborah try kindergarten again next year."

My parents refused, and I was advanced to first grade. I still can't jump rope!

So, to explain the pic at the top - I'm honored to be a part of an amazing group of bloggers and we wanted to bring you a kindergarten laugh and

chance to win some money!

It's very simple - just match the picture (with the assigned alphabet) to the blogger whose blog is listed below. What's in it for you? Other than some fun (and it's fun, promise), you can win an awesome $300 Amazon gift card. You can also get to know some of the bloggers listed here, if you don't already. I read their stuff and you won't be sorry! I'll give you a hint for mine, my hairstyle hasn't really changed! You can have a laugh at our expenses. Don't worry, we did. Now, go forth and play! Enter your answers on this form. Participating bloggers, in alphabetical order: Angela of Angela Amman Angie of Angie Kinghorn Deborah of Ask Doctor G (you're already here, don't forget to guess who I am!) Robin of Farewell Stranger Poppy of Funny or Snot Leigh Ann of Genie in a Blog Greta of Gfunkified Jennifer of Jennifer P. Williams Tonya of Letters for Lucas Kiran of Masala Chica Laura of Mommy Miracles Natalie of Mommy of a Monster (and Twins) Brittany of Mommy Words Jessica of My Time as Mom Kimberly of Reflections of Now Tracy of Sellabit Mum Elaine of The Miss Elaine-ous Life Sarah of The Sunday Spill Galit of These Little Waves Kristin of Two Cannoli Arnebya of What Now and Why Kristin of What She Said Alison of Writing, Wishing Terms and conditions apply: You must be 18 years or older to enter. This contest is only open to residents of USA and Canada. This contest is open from March 11 - 15, 2013 (closes at 9pm Eastern). Visit the link above, where you will be able to enter your guess for each blogger pictured. (All information will be kept private.) The person to correctly match all the faces with their blog will win a $300 Amazon gift card. The two other closest guesses will each win one $80 Amazon gift card.

This is not a sponsored post. Prizes are paid for out of the participating bloggers' own pockets.

You CAN enter more than once! Winners will be announced week of March 18. If more than one person correctly matches all the faces with their blogs, we will randomly pick a winner via random.org. If no one guesses all the faces correctly, the winner will be the person who made the most correct guesses. "Name That Kindergartner" was inspired by the "Name That DIY Blogger" contest, over at My Blessed Life