“The rollercoaster ride of anxiety. Going up and down… Should I? Shouldn’t I?… … I don’t want to disadvantage him”
(Kaitlyn, Mother as cited in MacKinnon, 2019, p. 58)
Deciding when a child should commence formal schooling has become increasingly complex in contemporary society. For many families, starting school is supposed to be an important and exciting milestone in their child’s life (Dockett & Perry, 2013; Edwards et al., 2009). However, for some parents, it can also be an anxious and stressful time. In fact, the decision has been described by Mergler and Walker (2017) as potentially the most difficult decision a parent must make for their child.
A child’s transition to school is a major life experience for all family members. For children, it represents the time they become increasingly independent, in addition to adopting their new role as a ‘school student’. Parents also experience various role changes during this transition. The responsibility for caring for the child becomes a role now shared between home and school. Parents also adopt a new role as the ‘parent of a school child’. For some parents, their child’s commencement of formal schooling may also signal a return to work or study. It therefore comes as no surprise that some parents find this period of change unsettling and they may struggle to decide when their child should commence formal schooling.
Many parents in my study found the decision-making particularly daunting, especially those who were making the decision for the first time. It was apparent that many parents experienced cycles of indecision as they considered the options available. Kaitlyn used the metaphor of a rollercoaster ride to represent her fluctuating levels of anxiety as she navigated her way through the decision-making process. The level of anxiety experienced by parents like Kaitlyn was exacerbated by varying levels of knowledge and experience of the Australian schooling system. As she weighed up the advantages and disadvantages of a delayed school entry for her son, it was evident the main cause of Kaitlyn’s anxiety could be attributed to her desire to make a decision that would not disadvantage her son. This, however, was difficult for Kaitlyn to determine due to her lack of familiarity with the current schooling system as this decision involved her eldest child.