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Original poster

Brags about dc height/weight etc

84 replies

ProustianMadeleine · 09/03/2025 17:24

I've never been able to understand. Why do people try to brag about their child's weight, height, shoe size?

I can maybe understand a newborn baby, "wow what a chunk, 10lb 6oz, well done you!"

But for example, BIL speaks about DNeice's height like its some sort of achievement for him! "Oh she's soooo tall for her age" "the tallest in the class" "dwarfs the other kids, even the boys!"
She's not freakishly tall as he seems to claim. She's 11 and a similar height to my 12 year old DD.
And who cares anyway? It's likely she'll average out and become one of the smaller children as she gets older because most boys will takeover in height with puberty.

We're also not a tall family in the slightest. DH, BIL and FIL are all under 5"11.

I also know someone who would brag about her 10 year old DD being in ladies size 12 clothes and having size 6 feet like she was so developed and mature.
She's now a very normal sized 15 year old.

I know we all think our children are great but I'll never understand this kind of crowing oneupmanship.

OP posts:
Hugattack · 09/03/2025 18:32

I’ve noticed this. My DD’s class does have some very tall children in it and there does seem to be some competitiveness over which kid has biggest size of uniform or has biggest shoes.

Hoppinggreen · 09/03/2025 18:31

I hated DS looking like a 5 year old from about age 3, people treated him like he was older and then were surprised when he acted his age. According to MIL it was the same for DH
DS always stood out and it was only from about Y10 when his peers caught up, he hated it

JandamiHash · 09/03/2025 18:28

Yes it’s a weird flex isn’t it!
MN is the worst for it. Everyone’s child is “lean” or “strapping”. Which makes me wonder who the parents are of all the stout pudgy kids I see

steff13 · 09/03/2025 18:27

Are they actually bragging or are they just making conversation? I mean I have talked to my friends about one of my sons wearing a men's size 13 shoe, but I wasn't bragging, I was complaining about how hard it is to find a men's size 13 shoe. That same son is now 6'3" tall and weighed 10lbs when he was born. Also no brags, just facts.

RandomUsernameHere · 09/03/2025 18:25

Agree, it's odd to make a big deal out of something that children have absolutely no control over, almost "praising" them for being tall. Especially as tall children often do not end up as tall adults.

CarpetKnees · 09/03/2025 18:20

It isn't a 'brag' though. It is just conversation. Catching up with people who you thought love your dc.

Someone's height isn't something they have 'achieved'.

Bragging would be if they had achieved something.

GrandHighPoohbah · 09/03/2025 18:02

It is odd, isn't it? As if hitting puberty younger than some of the others is some kind of personal achievement.

tentimesover · 09/03/2025 17:59

Often children can feel insecure or be bullied about being outside of the average size wise.
Parents are just making their dc feel better and saying it's a positive not a bad thing to be taller/bigger than peers.

I have a tall teenage dd who has been called bfg, big foot, lanky etc throughout school. She's beautiful and her height it beautiful and we do take any opportunity to tell her that being tall is not a fault.

FrannyScraps · 09/03/2025 17:43

Well there's probably something quite primal in raising your children to be 'big and strong'. Like a survival of the fittest type of instinct. If you think about animals, the runt of the litter type expression is used. Not saying we do that with children, but there is a generally something positive about growing and development in them that is quite satisfying.

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