Beyond Planned Parenting...

[bjcheung77]

Our kids are 2 years apart but in back-to-back grades. Here's why we chose to retain one and not the other.
Link: https://www.businessinsider.com/retainin...des-2024-8

For me, I've got two kids as well, and they're 18-19 months apart (April 2012 & Oct 2013) and are in back-to-back grades as well.  They went to summer school together and are in the same grades (multi-grade clusters).  They're really close... It's much better than my older sister and I, we are born 14-15 months apart and 1 grade year difference...

My sister and I were in back-to-back grades as well, we had to really ask for 2 years difference but failed as we're only 14-15 months apart.  Birth year was 2 diff (Nov 75 vs Mar 77), technically we should be 2 grades apart even though we're closer in age   due to when we were born, but because my sister came late into the education system than I, she's only 1 grade higher... 

I think it's a good idea to have planned parenting, not just for yourself and SO, but for your kids.   Some kids who are closer in age are much better 'tight nit'.  My younger sister who is 6 years younger, we're not as close, even though we have friends who are bro or sis with my other sister or I and see each other often, we don't relate too much.

It's so fun yet so weird as my sisters have classmates who have bros or sisters in my grade, and vice versa, we like to all hang out together and sometimes it's interesting and other times it's overwhelming or underwhelming, it's either you can relate to them or not.  Maybe it's me... If I had to do planned parenting again, I would do the same thing...

My older child is great at school, yet my younger child is struggling, I don't think we will retain them for that one year though.  We're going to continue with extra tutoring in specific subjects and extra curriculars including arts, music, sports, etc.  I speak with my kids and ask them how they feel and what they want to take, we decide together...