Brags about dc height/weight etc

I don't think it's a brag most of the time. You probably get the odd sporty dad who does, but not other than that.

I had two dc that were at the taller end, but also older end, so did appear tall in their year, and one slightly smaller than average summer baby who appeared, at times, tiny in their year.
I've chatted to people about it, I certainly didn't think there was anything particularly amazing in them being tall; if anything it made things harder for them as people expected far more.

@mathanxiety

Girls that age get called names regardless of shape or size. Girls with figures to die for and all the rest.
True true. You are quite right. Fortunately @TeenLifeMum 's dd is confident which is a good thing at that age.

@TeenLifeMum

She calls herself that 🤷🏻‍♀️ she’s a beautiful, confident 17 year old. Not everyone hears things how you hear them.
It's not how I see them. I'm old enough to know that people come in all shapes and sizes and there is beauty in them all. It's more that I know how girls talk and I've heard quite mean comments about so and so being so flat as a door or such and such has perfect boobs and bum. They seem fixated on having boobs and bums

I'm around a lot of young people in where I work.

i love talking about how tall my ds is! His hair colour and beautiful long eyelashes. He has huge feet and he’s very well built for a little chap. Oh and his dimples - I love that chin dimple.

I don’t really care if people think it’s bragging, I just find it interesting to look at this amazing specimen of a human - how is it possible I produced him?!

I mean I don’t feel boastful or proud of my DC’s weight as such, but I’ve put a lot of effort into feeding them properly (cooking from scratch, very rarely beige) and making sure they get sufficient exercise and fresh air (read: a lot!). This isn’t easy to do as I work FT and we don’t have a garden. So I feel I suppose satisfaction that I can hopefully transition them into adult life with healthy bodies. I’m sure they’ll dive into McDonalds as a young adult but I feel if they turn 18 slim it’ll be much harder for them to put on weight than if they’re already borderline or obese.

All these “only on MN are all the kids tall”…has no one stopped to consider that only those of us with ridiculously tall kids mention their height so it’s a skewed view? Plenty of posters don’t mention their kids height.

My DS (15) did actually hit 6ft at 14 and 10 months. It’s not a brag or a lie…just a fact. But I’m 5’8 and dad was 6’2 before he shrank a bit with age. So hardly unsurprising to think our kids will be on the tall side.

My ds isn't the tallest in his class, he's quite average, but he regularly goes swimming and I do feel quite prideful that he is easily in the top five healthiest weight. He isn't overweight in the slightest, nor is he excessively skinny. He is 11 and very lean with moderate muscle definition. So I do sometimes brag about that I suppose, because I've managed to help him stay fit and healthy, unlike sadly many of his peers who are now already very overweight and struggle with physical activity.

I don't get the bragging about innate qualities though, like height, eye colour etc. Mine is also very clever but it's not something I brag about, it's just another of his qualities, like having wavy hair, or sticky out ears, or absolutely no musical ability whatsoever, or going a nice colour in the sun. Those things aren't achievements (or failings), they just are.

Absolutely not @Crazycatlady79 😆 she's extremely sturdy! I've posted a pic of her with her face scribbled out and you can see she's perfect 🤩

Is "sturdy and strong looking" a euphemism for overweight, as having a 'solid' toddler isn't something I'd brag about?!

50th centile means half above and half below.
Average is the sum of all measurements divided by the total number.

The same answer does not necessarily arise.

What is the difference, because I would have assumed 50th centile was exactly average?

It starts with the ridiculous red book which is out of date, data wise, and HV's who do not understand the statistical difference between 50th centile and average.

I don't brag about my DC's size, I rarely mention it in RL. However, I am amazed that 5'2 me produced 5'10 DD1. It blows my mind.

DD2 is 5'1 and that makes sense to me. DD1 being 5'10 and towering above us just makes me think "what the hell?!"

I definitely have never experienced this, but my assumption is that it’s coming from a place of insecurity. For example, a family of men 5’11 and under, well, they are on the shorter side, and perhaps have become a bit obsessed with reversing that trend in their children.

Dh and I are tall. Our dc were short to average height when little, which was remarkable only because it was a bit odd, because we are so tall. I suspect they are taller than average now, but I couldn’t even tell you because I don’t even know how tall they are and have never really thought about it and how they compare to their peers. Similarly, don’t know how much they weigh and could just about guess at shoe size. But I suspect that’s because it’s not a hang up for me.

I don't know if it's really bragging? I think it's often more sharing their surprise at how quickly DC grow up.

I know people who talk about how small their children are so I don't think it's bragging I think it's just making conversation by commenting on what they have observed.

My point is I don't think it is a brag about height it's a fact and when my DC were little I felt the opposite pressure for them not to be stocky as that implied they were being fed crap. Of course that is crap but people definitely didn't brag about having stocky children in my geographical area!

My son is tall, his friends are all tall (around 6ft) and in a couple of cases very tall as in knocking their heads on my door frame, they're 18 so tomt know whether that is it growth wise, I actually do think it's good diet and living circumstances, I would say a majority of girls at my DD's secondary school are slim to skinny not overweight so I do think there are culture pressures and is not unlikely at all as we live in one of the healthiest cities in the country!

I’ve noticed this too op. It’s odd.

My first was very small from birth and remains slightly built and petite height wise at almost 10.

I’m currently pregnant and apparently expecting an off the charts giant. I have to say I have some mixed feelings about that (and not just the birth aspect!), I’ve always thought children who are big for their age have a harder time just being little children. I have a cousin who was always big for her age, some 12 years younger than me, so I remember that my aunt used to get so upset about comments made about her when she was little “why can’t she behave herself” etc because people thought she was about 6, rather than only 3 and so on.

Ah, we have one of those on our class WhatsApp.

Along with plenty of posts of 'my ride and die 🥰' and 'bff's forever 😍' and lots of selfies of them doing matching trout pouts. I think the kid is 12 so not even a teen yet.

I'm waiting for the day someone comments 'she's not your bff, she's your fucking child you melt' but unfortunately I'm not brave enough to do it myself.

Being the shortest you know isn’t really relevant – it’s literally the UK average for men.

How embarrassing, what a strange thing for that woman to post about her own child @Turkeypie

This thread has reminded me about the main culprit I know who talks about her tall DS more or less every time I see her. Never relevant to the conversation, just shoe horned in. Last time she was talking about tracking his height projection in his red book!! The kid is 15, clearly doesn’t need his height monitoring or his mum boring on about it every day.

So dull, and actually if she’s not talking about his height it’s his sporting prowess- he’s all round good not the next Messi. I try and avoid.

One of the (rather irritating) school mums posts photos of her DD 13 in a bikini saying 'wow figure to die for'

I have a friend who talks about her child’s weight / height / looks / percentiles etc… I know what weight DS was when he was born, and I have never thought about any of it (unless a the public health nurse comments) a single day of his four years.

I have a very tall DC1 and tbh I've always found it somewhat of an inconvenience. They're assumed to be much older than they are and more is expected behaviourally, including some things they've just not been developmentally ready for or which are unfair - e.g. handing over a toy to a 'younger'-looking child, who was in fact a year old, because 'they're so little and they want it'.

My DC2 is on the smaller side and it has been somewhat of a revelation to me how much easier and more forgiving people are regarding smaller, cuter children. While DC1 would sometimes get evil looks for even tripping up or running around a smaller child, DC2 can literally push or batter a bigger child and the other parent often doesn't bat an eyelid or blames their own child for DC2's misdeeds 😂.

It is really, really strange and not particularly good for either child.