Late Bloomer?

[Anonymous]

How common is it for a boy to be in 7th grade and still not have started puberty yet? I'm especially concerned because his twin sister has gotten her period already. DS hasn't had a growth spurt or anything yet and doesn't have any armpit, leg, or pubic hair yet.

Is this normal? Should I take him to a specialist?

[Anonymous]

Omg don’t fret, plenty of time!

[Anonymous]

My 7th grader (turned 13 last September) hasn’t had a growth spurt yet.

There are so many kids that have earlier than usual growth spurts nowadays, it’s easy to forget that on the last most 7th grade boys (at least back in the 80s) hadn’t hit growth spurt yet. At 5’5” I was taller than most of the boys then, many of which ended up over 6 feet.

[Anonymous]

You know what they teach kids in 4th grade Family/Life Education? Puberty for boys starts between ages 9 and 15! So, relax. Your child is probably 12 or 13.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 7th grader (turned 13 last September) hasn’t had a growth spurt yet.

There are so many kids that have earlier than usual growth spurts nowadays, it’s easy to forget that on the last most 7th grade boys (at least back in the 80s) hadn’t hit growth spurt yet. At 5’5” I was taller than most of the boys then, many of which ended up over 6 feet.

You also have to keep in mind that for the first year or so of puberty in boys, all the changes are below the belt so you might just not be able to tell.

[Anonymous]

My DS turned 13 in April and within a few months, his voice deepened and his skin broke out. He came back from camp in July with armpit hair. He eats and sleeps a lot and is moody. All of his friends are much more developed than he is.

[Anonymous]

A lot of guys develop much later. My dh even grew taller into his late 20s!

[Anonymous]

The average age of puberty for a boy is two years later than the average age of a girl.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot of guys develop much later. My dh even grew taller into his late 20s!

So did my brother. I also grew a full inch in college. My brother 2 inches. He is no 6'2", but was just average height through middle school until about sophomore year in HS.

[Anonymous]

My daughter was finished growing by 8th grade. My son looked 10 or 11 years old as a seventh grader and at the beginning of 8th grade (turned 13 in September of that year). He had a growth spurt starting near the end of 8th grade and was probably about 5'5" by the time he turned 14 near the beginning of 9th grade. He's now about 5'10 as a senior but his growth has been very gradual in high school.

[Anonymous]

No signs of puberty in my 7th grader, set to turn 13 next month. We'll see what his ped says about the first signs at his checkup; last year she said he had not started.
He already wears a size 11 shoe and is 5'6", so I'm a little worried about what a growth spurt could bring. I might need to raise the ceilings!

[Anonymous]

We joke that my 7th grader who is 12.5 yrs old could pass for 4th grader. In one year we will be taking him to the HS curriculum night. I said " you better grow or the other high schoolers will think you are in 4th grade." He said, "I'll just say I'm exceptionally smart for my age." (and let them think he really is a 4th grader in HS)!

You can't make someone grow faster! (Well, I guess you can use steroids, but that comes with risks.)

Ride it out for a few more years.

[Anonymous]

Not sure how old OP's 7th grader is (12? 13?) but my DS started puberty right around his 13th bday. Which is later than average.

As a PP mentioned, the first signs of puberty are below the belt. Pubic hair development is generally 6 months after the initial sign (testicle enlargement). The big growth spurt comes later in a boy's puberty than it does in a girl's (when it's before starting menstruation).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We joke that my 7th grader who is 12.5 yrs old could pass for 4th grader. In one year we will be taking him to the HS curriculum night. I said " you better grow or the other high schoolers will think you are in 4th grade." He said, "I'll just say I'm exceptionally smart for my age." (and let them think he really is a 4th grader in HS)!

You can't make someone grow faster! (Well, I guess you can use steroids, but that comes with risks.)

Ride it out for a few more years.

Is it really a good idea to make jokes like that. Kids can get really insecure about this kind of stuff.

[Anonymous]

My 12 year old DS has never had a major growth spurt. He's less than 10th percentile and maybe 55 inches. We have been monitoring him with a pediatric endocrinologist who says all indications suggest he's a late bloomer, but it's definitely become more of an issue since he started middle school and all of his friends are having growth spurts. I don't think he will be particularly tall (DH and I are relatively small), but I really hope he starts growing more soon. He's a pretty outgoing kid, but I do think it's starting to affect his self-confidence.