Let me tell you about a little girl my wife is treating.

[JDPriestly]

189. When I lived in a small town in a European country and had single-payer,

the town's pediatrician called all the pregnant moms due over a certain period of several months to a meeting and gave us tips. She warned, for example, that our babies would be born in September so it might be smart to hold them back a year of school so that they would not be the youngest in their class. I did that, and my child had a huge advantage in her early education. Later, she skipped a class and joined the older children in her general age range.

That was not an issue of child abuse, but putting a child in school before the child is mature enough to handle the stress and demands can place the child's whole life, not just his academic career, in jeopardy.

Little bits of information and advice like that -- so simple -- can make a big difference.

In general, I think that American parents push their children pretty hard.