(Yet another) Question about boy’s puberty

Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP here.

Still reading your replies- thank you!

For those who had kids who shot up in a matter of months, were there any signs that explosive growth was about to happen? Did your kids get growing pains or stretch marks?

My husband is 6’1” but said he doesn’t remember going through any major growth spurts- more slow and steady. I assume DS will also be slow and steady.


My engineer DH loved to track our kids' growth, so I have his chart and for my DS, his growth was:

13 years: 4'11"
13.5 years: 5' 1"
14 years: 5'3"
14.5 years: 5'5"
15 years: 5'6"
15.5 years: 5'8"
16 years: 5'9"
16.5 years: 5'10"
18 years: 5'10 1/2"
19 years: 5'11"

He didn't start his growth spurt until 13 and then when he did, it was 4" in a year. He didn't seem to have growing pains and no stretch marks, he just ate like a horse.

Then for two years after that it was 3" a year. And then over the span of 3 years he grew an additional 2" and he seems to be done now at 19. So his growing was about 6 years in total and a foot gained in height. I believe 11"-12" is the average for puberty growth in boys.


My mom still has the pencil-marked growth chart for my brother and me in her house. Last time I was visiting, we had fun comparing the kids' heights to where we were as kids. My son is tracking almost exactly where I was. We all laughed when we discovered my SIL's adult height is what my brother was at age 12. I love growth data!


That’s sweet that she still has it! We have our kids’ marked on a kitchen wall and sometimes I think if we repaint at some point, I’ll miss it so much.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My 16yo ds is 5' 6" and done growing and I assure you he is doing great too.


Thank you for saying this. We're a tall-ish family so maybe it's easy for us to say, but the emphasis on height is exhausting. When I go to the gym, I assure you that no amount of my height makes me more attractive than some of the far shorter kings wandering around there.

If you're worried about a shorter kid being unable to play certain sports, just pick a different activity - there are plenty out there.


It is easy for you to say. All the short men are doing great and also it's an advantage, particularly for a man, to be taller. A documented advantage. So people think about these things. If it's exhausting don't open the thread.


Good call. As the parent of a young boy, I should avoid threads with titles like " (Yet another) Question about boy’s puberty " that sound relevant to my interests on the off chance that they're feeding into a superficial societal preference that hasn't been rational for centuries, if ever.

If it makes you feel better, being tall isn't always a positive. Sitting in the 99/100% for height, from preschool through high school I was always assumed to be a few years older than I was. Which meant that, during my formative years, I enjoyed far less latitude for childish behavior than my peers. I have countless stories of me being branded as the aggressor in a physical playground situation simply because I was the bigger participant. Extrapolate that to nearly every kind of interaction with adults - even though I was the youngest kid in my grade. And I see the same thing happen with my son who is 5'3" at 9yo. Is that worth the minimal extra lifetime earnings or the extra 0.00001% I can be a CEO? I don't think so, but it was my fate and I'm fine with it. Just as I hope your child is fine with theirs as long as they don't pick up on your perception of them as somehow less than others.

But please. Continue gnashing your teeth about how average and short men are doomed to a substandard life despite all evidence to the contrary.


Wow. I have a tall son. Always tallest in his grade. Off the chart the day he was born and never once on it. My tall son seems to have made it out just fine. He was never once branded the aggressor. Never an issue for him and he's now an older teen. He's a gentle type and never got himself in those situations. Might be you and your DNA as being genuine, you are sounding irrationally angry and slightly hysterical.





When the killing of 5'11" 17 yr old Trayvon Martin happened at the hands of 5'7" George Zimmerman, I was super scared for my then 16yr. old 5'11" son thinking that no one would see him as a kid/teen but a "grown man" based purely on his height.

I've had my share of moments when I've had to tell people "he's only 15" or "yes, he's tall but he's only 16".

I have a late bloomer son as well and I can tell people engage with him differently, he's still "cute", "sweet", "adorable" etc.






Mom of tall son again. Mine is 6-5. His whole life people thought he was older. I suppose anything in life can have a negative or an angle to worry about. The way I've always looked at it, 9 times out of 10 he's going to be left alone because of his height and not a target. No he's not treated like he's cute or sweet or adorable. Oh well. I hear what you are saying that people think they are older. I always told him in a mixed kid age setting, kids will assume he is older and he should state his age and if there is an ongonig issue, leave. At mixed age sports camps, I would tell him to clearly tell an adult his age and say he wanted to be on his correct age team or group. And if that was a problem let me know and I would step in. Was never a problem after he said something. Yes, he had to advocate for himself at times. Life skills.

But it is what it is. I just would never spin it in my brain as a bad thing for him.

I can't believe this thread has turned into boo hoo for tall guys. Didn't see that coming.


You're the only one perceiving it as such. We're simply providing a balanced perspective.


Lol

The tall people have all the things and now I have to see their perspective and understand it’s hard for them too??? I’ll add them to my prayers.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My 16yo ds is 5' 6" and done growing and I assure you he is doing great too.


Thank you for saying this. We're a tall-ish family so maybe it's easy for us to say, but the emphasis on height is exhausting. When I go to the gym, I assure you that no amount of my height makes me more attractive than some of the far shorter kings wandering around there.

If you're worried about a shorter kid being unable to play certain sports, just pick a different activity - there are plenty out there.


It is easy for you to say. All the short men are doing great and also it's an advantage, particularly for a man, to be taller. A documented advantage. So people think about these things. If it's exhausting don't open the thread.


Good call. As the parent of a young boy, I should avoid threads with titles like " (Yet another) Question about boy’s puberty " that sound relevant to my interests on the off chance that they're feeding into a superficial societal preference that hasn't been rational for centuries, if ever.

If it makes you feel better, being tall isn't always a positive. Sitting in the 99/100% for height, from preschool through high school I was always assumed to be a few years older than I was. Which meant that, during my formative years, I enjoyed far less latitude for childish behavior than my peers. I have countless stories of me being branded as the aggressor in a physical playground situation simply because I was the bigger participant. Extrapolate that to nearly every kind of interaction with adults - even though I was the youngest kid in my grade. And I see the same thing happen with my son who is 5'3" at 9yo. Is that worth the minimal extra lifetime earnings or the extra 0.00001% I can be a CEO? I don't think so, but it was my fate and I'm fine with it. Just as I hope your child is fine with theirs as long as they don't pick up on your perception of them as somehow less than others.

But please. Continue gnashing your teeth about how average and short men are doomed to a substandard life despite all evidence to the contrary.


Wow. I have a tall son. Always tallest in his grade. Off the chart the day he was born and never once on it. My tall son seems to have made it out just fine. He was never once branded the aggressor. Never an issue for him and he's now an older teen. He's a gentle type and never got himself in those situations. Might be you and your DNA as being genuine, you are sounding irrationally angry and slightly hysterical.





When the killing of 5'11" 17 yr old Trayvon Martin happened at the hands of 5'7" George Zimmerman, I was super scared for my then 16yr. old 5'11" son thinking that no one would see him as a kid/teen but a "grown man" based purely on his height.

I've had my share of moments when I've had to tell people "he's only 15" or "yes, he's tall but he's only 16".

I have a late bloomer son as well and I can tell people engage with him differently, he's still "cute", "sweet", "adorable" etc.






Mom of tall son again. Mine is 6-5. His whole life people thought he was older. I suppose anything in life can have a negative or an angle to worry about. The way I've always looked at it, 9 times out of 10 he's going to be left alone because of his height and not a target. No he's not treated like he's cute or sweet or adorable. Oh well. I hear what you are saying that people think they are older. I always told him in a mixed kid age setting, kids will assume he is older and he should state his age and if there is an ongonig issue, leave. At mixed age sports camps, I would tell him to clearly tell an adult his age and say he wanted to be on his correct age team or group. And if that was a problem let me know and I would step in. Was never a problem after he said something. Yes, he had to advocate for himself at times. Life skills.

But it is what it is. I just would never spin it in my brain as a bad thing for him.

I can't believe this thread has turned into boo hoo for tall guys. Didn't see that coming.


You're the only one perceiving it as such. We're simply providing a balanced perspective.


Lol

The tall people have all the things and now I have to see their perspective and understand it’s hard for them too??? I’ll add them to my prayers.


Thank you for the prayers. In a culture obsessed with looks and appearances, I know I made the great choice of marrying a tall man (I'm 5'4") and both of my kids have graciously inherited dad's height, so I am convinced life will be a breeze for them, because we all know height it's all that matters in life...

Jjhernandez
Member Offline
Anonymous wrote:My 16yo ds is 5' 6" and done growing and I assure you he is doing great too.


My son is predicted to be about 5'7. Did your DS gradually grow or did he have a growth spurt? Just figured I would ask someone in the same range as us lol.
Anonymous
OP here. Wow, opened this thread to find I had written it

I can report that my son seems to be in his growth spurt as he grew about 5" or so between 13 and 14. The growth plates in his arm are still open (arm injury necessitated x-rays) so potentially a few more inches to come. Still has a few 'stache hairs and no pit hair/very little arm and leg hair.
post reply Forum Index » Tweens and Teens
Message Quick Reply
Go to: