Magnitude of growth spurt for boys

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do you all remember this stuff? I know what the annual ped exam says but honestly, I can't remember how tall my 15 yr old was at his last ped appt.

This.
The obsession w male height is real.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do you all remember this stuff? I know what the annual ped exam says but honestly, I can't remember how tall my 15 yr old was at his last ped appt.

Mostly midget obsession

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you all remember this stuff? I know what the annual ped exam says but honestly, I can't remember how tall my 15 yr old was at his last ped appt.

Mostly midget obsession

That’s not nice. For me, it’s the fear of the unknown. My son is 5’2” in 8th grade and hasn’t really hit his growth spurt yet. But we have no clue if he will end up growing 5 more inches or 10. If he grows for several years, either is possible. I like hearing from all just to ponder the possibilities!

[Anonymous]

My 15 year old grew maybe 6" in 6 months in his middle 1/2 of 14. Hoping he has one more growth spurt.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for this thread.

My DS is definitely delayed and I'm hopeful he will start taking off soon. He just hit 5'2" at 14 1/2. And he plays volleyball, so we need the height to come!

His older brother shot up very early and has been very slowly adding a bit more height but he's pushing 6' (he's a HS senior so maybe has another inch or so to go).

[Anonymous]

My son has grown 9 inches this year (2025) and still going. Just turned 15 in November.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you all remember this stuff? I know what the annual ped exam says but honestly, I can't remember how tall my 15 yr old was at his last ped appt.

Mostly midget obsession

That’s not nice. For me, it’s the fear of the unknown. My son is 5’2” in 8th grade and hasn’t really hit his growth spurt yet. But we have no clue if he will end up growing 5 more inches or 10. If he grows for several years, either is possible. I like hearing from all just to ponder the possibilities!

Either 5 or 10 inches he’ll be all set. There are plenty of short boys in middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you all remember this stuff? I know what the annual ped exam says but honestly, I can't remember how tall my 15 yr old was at his last ped appt.

This.
The obsession w male height is real.

I really think it’s the shift in youth sports culture. For boys especially, being a late bloomer has a huge effect on whether or not they can stay competitive in MS/HS sports. There is a major coach preference for early developers, and the nature of male puberty is such that it is impossible for the boys who have not gone through puberty to keep up with those who have. It’s not even primarily about height or size (although those help in some sports), it’s about development. For boys, the growth spurt usually takes place during the later part of puberty, so it coincides with a huge increase in strength, power, endurance, agility, etc. It’s very difficult for the boys on the later side of gaining these advantages, especially if they are athletes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you all remember this stuff? I know what the annual ped exam says but honestly, I can't remember how tall my 15 yr old was at his last ped appt.

This.
The obsession w male height is real.

I really think it’s the shift in youth sports culture. For boys especially, being a late bloomer has a huge effect on whether or not they can stay competitive in MS/HS sports. There is a major coach preference for early developers, and the nature of male puberty is such that it is impossible for the boys who have not gone through puberty to keep up with those who have. It’s not even primarily about height or size (although those help in some sports), it’s about development. For boys, the growth spurt usually takes place during the later part of puberty, so it coincides with a huge increase in strength, power, endurance, agility, etc. It’s very difficult for the boys on the later side of gaining these advantages, especially if they are athletes.

It’s also a shift in calling all of these boys athletes instead of just like to play sports. Before the club play for money phase everyone knew who the athletes were and who the kids who just loved to play sports were. You could watch pick up games and see the one or two talented kids. Now parents think they can create athletes with coaches and running around everywhere to compete. It doesn’t work that way. It’s still the few boys you can pick out of the crowd.

Give your kids a break. There are a handful of spots in high school basketball, hockey, soccer, baseball. Don’t talk about their height or strength or any part of their physical abilities. If they enjoy sports there will be a spot for them. Encourage them to enjoy their sport wherever they play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you all remember this stuff? I know what the annual ped exam says but honestly, I can't remember how tall my 15 yr old was at his last ped appt.

This.
The obsession w male height is real.

I really think it’s the shift in youth sports culture. For boys especially, being a late bloomer has a huge effect on whether or not they can stay competitive in MS/HS sports. There is a major coach preference for early developers, and the nature of male puberty is such that it is impossible for the boys who have not gone through puberty to keep up with those who have. It’s not even primarily about height or size (although those help in some sports), it’s about development. For boys, the growth spurt usually takes place during the later part of puberty, so it coincides with a huge increase in strength, power, endurance, agility, etc. It’s very difficult for the boys on the later side of gaining these advantages, especially if they are athletes.

It’s also a shift in calling all of these boys athletes instead of just like to play sports. Before the club play for money phase everyone knew who the athletes were and who the kids who just loved to play sports were. You could watch pick up games and see the one or two talented kids. Now parents think they can create athletes with coaches and running around everywhere to compete. It doesn’t work that way. It’s still the few boys you can pick out of the crowd.

Give your kids a break. There are a handful of spots in high school basketball, hockey, soccer, baseball. Don’t talk about their height or strength or any part of their physical abilities. If they enjoy sports there will be a spot for them. Encourage them to enjoy their sport wherever they play.

Of course boys who play sports are athletes. I agree with both of these posts and will add that so many reclassifying these days that my son who will start freshman year as 14 and 4 months will need to be in his growth spurt to play. He can’t afford to be 5’3” and I don’t know if he will be that or 5’7”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you all remember this stuff? I know what the annual ped exam says but honestly, I can't remember how tall my 15 yr old was at his last ped appt.

Mostly midget obsession

+1

[Anonymous]

The energy from parents of short boys is unmatched. It is awful really. I get why they feel this way but the palpable angst about it is a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The energy from parents of short boys is unmatched. It is awful really. I get why they feel this way but the palpable angst about it is a lot.

I know in the scheme of things, it’s a huge blessing to just have a healthy kid, but in reality parents want their kids to have advantages.

And for boys, height is a factor in that. Sports, dating, careers, etc, height is undeniably an advantage. Is it the only thing? No, of course not. But it’s something.

When it’s *your* son who is the smallest in his class, even most of the girls are taller, who is trying to stay in a sport he loves but is a boy up against men, or is enduring regular comments and teasing, it’s tough. Your heart breaks for your kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The energy from parents of short boys is unmatched. It is awful really. I get why they feel this way but the palpable angst about it is a lot.

You’re actually the one who sounds clueless and bothered. For many parents of boys, it’s not even about height. It’s about development, and in our weird youth sports obsessed culture being a late bloomer is a huge disadvantage that can completely remove very talented boys from the sports they love and are important parts of their physical and mental health. These boys usually end up taller than the early developers in the end, so height is not ultimately the issue. But by the time they go through puberty and develop, it is too late for their sport and they have also endured years of ridicule and rejection based on their (temporary) smaller size.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The energy from parents of short boys is unmatched. It is awful really. I get why they feel this way but the palpable angst about it is a lot.

How tall are your sons?