I totally agree with you on this. I have seen parents getting worried that my 2 yrs old cannot speak while someone elses 2 yrs old can speak full 3 words sentence. An I am always like, dude will it matter when they are 18 that who started speaking first.
Same is when parents put their perfectly normal 4 yrs old in special classes where they can learn to read and write English and Math faster. I mean with all due respect to any of the parents who has done it, does it really matter after 5 yrs from now how if they could count to 400 vs a normal 4 yrs old who could do only count till 10 maybe.
I agree with most of what you say TLK. My nephew is 3 years old and has just begun to formulate full sentences. My sister was panicked even a year ago and took him in to be assessed because he was not speaking as well as some other kids his age. He's catching up fine now. Of course by the time he is 7 or 8 nobody will know the difference.
I don't know yet if I agree with the second part though. I believe that we have the ability to pick things up faster and gain a deeper understanding of concepts when we are younger. I think other ideas and influences begin to impact this ability as we grow older so if certain topics are ingrained while we are young we will have an edge in building on those foundations. I can see examples in my life with my siblings and with my nieces and nephews. One of my brothers was put into school with an inaccurate birthdate at the age of 2.5 years. My mother sent him off and he did quite well even as the youngest in class. To this day he is quick to adapt, has had a remarkable career and is successful in all aspects of his life....at least by general standards. Now....did he have a tough time growing up? I can't say that it was any more difficult than any other person from his generation.
I have nieces and nephews that have been brought up differently. Those that have had their academic life monitored closely have excelled and those that have been left to steer themselves or have been mollycoddled have not done so well. Ammi always said that children are like green branches of a tree.....you can bend them and bend them....they will not snap. This is the time to mold them into the arch that will adorn the entrance to your garden. Do not expect to do it later when they have matured as you will only disappoint all involved.
Perhaps I am using too few examples that are before me....but this is what I have observed.