Since when are kids supposed to write before K and read before 1st?

We have twin boys starting K in the fall and have been told that they should be writing by now, and to expect to have them reading before 1st grade. I don't remember having to be able to do that - I pretended to write before school, and I could kind of read some words before 1st grade, but not like what is expected today. I am an older parent, so I went to elementary in the 80s, but seriously, reading and writing before 1st grade seems crazy. My boys are creative and bright and all kinds of good stuff, but they don't like to sit and color or "write" for more than 30 seconds. They can kind of write their names - because we have made them practice since that's apparently what they should be doing - but that's all. They know their letters and sounds, but I don't actively teach them to sound out words.Am I totally screwing up? via /r/Parenting http://ift.tt/2k80RRf