[jacketspost10]

I will weigh in by saying I know a few kids that have been held back whether it be for sports, academics, or maturity and they all have benefited. There is no longer any stigma associated with this. The kids prosper and become more confident in everything they do. I have not held mine back as never thought there was a reason too, but I am considering it for next year just because I can see the benefits, especially from a maturity stand point. Every kid is different and I believe this is a decision the child and their parents should come to together.

I'm an 8th grader, but I happen to be a 7th grade hold-back and, in my opinion, I've benefited greatly from it. In our area, all the schools around us have teams that have all been held back in early grades, so for us, we were always competing against kids a year older than we were. After we stayed back, we've not only competitively played with teams like North Laurel, South Laurel, Corbin, and Whitley County, we've beat every one.
On the flip-side, I've also made a TON of new friends that I would have never had if I had not stayed back.

If you're debating on it, go for it. You won't regret it.