Hi Jellyfish,
This is one of the reasons I homeschool. It is hard to be in a situation where you feel you must "measure up"..You as a parent, and your child with the other children.
There is a school of thought (not necessarily saying I agree or disagree with it), that you don't introduce formal training until the age of 10. Not very realistic in the public school system, but the rationale, I think, behind it is exactly what is at play here. Just setting the foundation for learning & getting all the pieces in place before the formal "teaching" begins.
This is particularly true for boys. In our school system, kids have to keep up with other kids to make it convenient for the teacher because there is one of her & 20-30 students! However, we know anecdotally, that boys fine motor skills develop at a slower pace than girls. Thus, the "sloppy" writing we see in boys.
Read to your son. Have him sit on your lap and point at each word as you read. Go to great sites like janbrett.com and get the phenograms. EnchantedLearning.com has great worksheets as does donnayoung.org. Some of those sites have Dolch site cards (words that kids should know by X grade...)
Beyond that, my thought is, honestly, don't sweat it. He will not go to college in pull-ups, still nursing or not being able to read! In other words, he will do it in his own time & at his own pace! (A good book to read together would be Leo The Late Bloomer...a book about a little cub who is very smart, and "blooms" in his own time, not just because the "other" cubs are doing XYZ...)
You're a great mom to be concerned about this, so listen to your gut and support him as best you can, knowing that it *will* come in its own time! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Best wishes!
