has my son reached puberty if he has no armpit hair?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Same with my 8th grader who turned 14 last month. He also is still losing baby teeth. He looks like a virtual baby on the soccer field playing against man-children (some with mustaches and very hairy legs and close to 6 feet).

His brother was the same (but started slightly sooner than him). Brother didn't hit the growth spurt until closer to 15. Voice didn't start to occasionally crack until 14.5. He went from 5'2" at the start of the pandemic at age 14.5 to now 6 feet at 16.5.

My younger one is MUCH skinnier than older brother ever was, literally skin and bones, but he is outside playing basketball/biking, etc. any time he is not playing soccer. I did notice his arms and legs look much longer than the rest of him. His feet also haven't changed much in size and I remember my older one needed new shoes every 2 months going from a size 8 to a size 12.5 in a very short amount of time.

My younger one did have an X-ray in the Fall for an ankle injury and the ortho said his growth plates were wide open and he suspected a big growth spurt would be happening soon. Still hasn't happened.

There is such a wide range of normal at this age. From U13-U16 soccer, the kids on the field look like they could be 10 or 21. Half the kids on my son's current team look either 10 or 17.

+1
You can really see this at a sports game! My son's U14 team has kids still 4 foot something (almost 5 feet) to 6 feet. They look like they are all completely different ages but they get along really well.

[Anonymous]

They sure grow fast! Suddenly, they are an inch longer in their arms, legs, feet...everything. One of many reasons they get into accidents more often as teens. Suddenly they bump their heads while getting in the car cause the car feels small to them. They are towering over the suv you got. They might even hit their head on the shower curtain rod.
It's all good. They are growing.

[Anonymous]

My son's voice didn't change till he was 15y. At 16y he has very little underarm hair and absolutely no facial hair. He grew about 5" in the past 7m but it still "only" 5'6.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Puberty is a process that lasts from 2 to 5 years and begins between the ages of 10 and 16. There are kids in my son's 8th grade class that have facial hair and are 6 feet tall, and there are others who still look like kids. Mine will be 14 in a few months and he is about 5 ft 7 and his voice has started to deepen. He has a few pimples and the hair on his legs has started to darken. It doesn't sound like you have anything to worry about.

+1
Puberty is a process, not a moment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Almost 19 yo, never shaved and no armpit hair. Never had a noticeable voice drop.


Almost 15 yo, shaves has armpit hair and a deep voice

Um, what?

DP.. my white DH has very little body hair. He does have armpit hair (he's 50), but he said he didn't need to really shave until maybe mid 20s.

My 17 yr old DS also have very little body hair, and what he does have is very light in color, though he is not a blonde.

But no voice drop?

I'm the ^PP.. DS has always had a pretty low pitch voiced, but I did notice a few weeks ago that his voice kept cracking when we were talking. It was only a few days of that. His voice did drop even more recently.

But still very little visible body hair. I can see some hair on the upper lip, but it's still pretty faint. Probably won't need to shave until mid 20s like his father.

[Anonymous]

My son is 6'5, 16, a 10th grader and voice has changed. He definitely has gone through puberty (started end of 8th but mainly through 9th grade) but has only a wisp of underarm hair & only under one arm. This is also a recent development. He plays basketball so I see lots of boys armpits & I would say most do have hair but not my kid. He also only has fuzz over his lip which he wold never shave if he had the choice. I politely ask him to take care of it about once a month.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Almost 19 yo, never shaved and no armpit hair. Never had a noticeable voice drop.


Almost 15 yo, shaves has armpit hair and a deep voice

Um, what?

He’s not a hairy person and never had the noticeable Peter Bradyesque voice change. He just sounds different than he did at 14. He’s grown a ton in height, right around 6’. This is not complicated.

[Anonymous]

My son is blar blar blar

[Anonymous]

My 10th grader (15 yo) is very self conscious that he has zero underarm hair. His friends ask him if he shaves it! He is in puberty for sure, lowish voice, acne, growing a lot. I wouldn’t worry. Sometimes armpit hair is the last thing they get. I think it follows trends in your family. My girls also got armpit hair years after their period.

[Anonymous]

5’ 7 13 year old with no armpit hair just saw pediatrician who says he is on track.

[Anonymous]

I’m a fully grown woman but I’ve never had hair under my arms. Ever. Not a pinch. I am completely normal in every other way. I’ve never worried about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Almost 19 yo, never shaved and no armpit hair. Never had a noticeable voice drop.


Almost 15 yo, shaves has armpit hair and a deep voice

Um, what?

He’s not a hairy person and never had the noticeable Peter Bradyesque voice change. He just sounds different than he did at 14. He’s grown a ton in height, right around 6’. This is not complicated.

NP. Saying your 19 yo son’s voice never dropped (which is what PP said) is a pretty starling statement. Possibly the parent never noticed somehow (weird). But their voices drop. Agree it’s not complicated. Boys voices drop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Almost 19 yo, never shaved and no armpit hair. Never had a noticeable voice drop.


Almost 15 yo, shaves has armpit hair and a deep voice

Um, what?

He’s not a hairy person and never had the noticeable Peter Bradyesque voice change. He just sounds different than he did at 14. He’s grown a ton in height, right around 6’. This is not complicated.

Why tf is a male shaving his pits????

[Anonymous]

DH here.

I went to the Naval Academy. You know they’re big on having a well-groomed, uniform military appearance. Absolutely no facial hair allowed.

When I was a freshman, getting tons of unwanted attention from upperclassmen in my face giving me a hard time, I could go about two or three weeks between shaving, and I never got noticed or in trouble for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Almost 19 yo, never shaved and no armpit hair. Never had a noticeable voice drop.


Almost 15 yo, shaves has armpit hair and a deep voice

Um, what?

He’s not a hairy person and never had the noticeable Peter Bradyesque voice change. He just sounds different than he did at 14. He’s grown a ton in height, right around 6’. This is not complicated.

Why tf is a male shaving his pits????

NP here. My son probably won’t get much body hair. He’s mixed race and he doesn’t have much arm, leg, or pit hair at all.