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Original poster

Please tell me about your sons' late growth spurts!

98 replies

jingjang · 28/05/2023 17:32

Most (but not all) of the men in our family are well over 6'. DS1 was 6' 2" by age 16, and grew another inch at 18, so is now 6' 3". But younger brother DS2 is nearly 17 and has been 5' 11" for a couple of years now - his feet are size 10.5 UK and haven't grown since he was 13. He wants to be taller, especially as he is starting to be de-selected for the sport that he loves and otherwise excels at. His friends and team mates have shot past him in the last 2 years. We of course encourage him to love the height that he is, and tell him that late growth spurts are possible, like his brother. But, just for me, please tell me about your sons' late growth spurts - how late, and by how much?

OP posts:
RedGreenBlueSky · 28/05/2023 22:31

Your DS is not small and doesn't need a late growth spurt. Can we stop with thinking men have to be 6 foot to be acceptable or successful? My DS is 13.5 and 4 foot 8. I thought, at last a mumsnet thread I can relate to and talk about worries but no, another thread of people with above average kids (average height of kids in mumsnet seems to be much higher than actual average!) My DS was fine with being smaller until very recently and now is continually teased and it's commented on (as if he doesn't know he's small). Maybe we could bring up our kids to not think height is so important (aimed at all of bloody society rather than you OP)

Original poster
jingjang · 28/05/2023 22:35

Coffeecoffeeinmytummy · 28/05/2023 22:23

I met my DH when we were both 22. Not long after I went with him to his graduation and he wore a nice grey suit. A year later we were going to a friends wedding and he tried on the suit in the morning and he was wearing ankle biters 😂 had to make a mad dash to Debenhams as it looked ridiculous, the jacket looked all wrong as well. He grew about 2 inches during that year. He was an incredibly “late bloomer” though, in pics of him at age 18 he honestly looks about 12 and was around 5’6 when he went off to uni. Now he’s 6’1 and looks every second of his age!

My son is stocky, but baby faced - so definitely still boyish, for now at least. The boys who have shot up past him have seemed skinnier, but are likely to broaden out like their dads, so maybe mine is just doing it the other way round.

OP posts:
Mindovermatter247 · 28/05/2023 22:36

Ds15 is 5’11 and size 10.5 shoe. He had a massive growth spurt from year 8 to year 10… he still grows a bit here or there as I can feel him getting more taller than me. His shoe size went from size 3 in year 4 to size 6, 8 months later…

Zoflorabore · 28/05/2023 22:37

My ds is 20 and 6ft 2. He has definitely grown an inch in the last year. I think he’s still growing.
his feet have always been huge and he started year 7 in a size 11 and they stopped growing aged 13, he’s in a size 13 shoe and they’re hard enough to find in certain trainers.

i wouldn’t lose hope yet. My ds is the tallest of his friends. Most are around 5ft 10/11.
my brother is 6ft 6 and his own sons are tiny in comparison.

OuchIStubbedMyBigToe · 29/05/2023 09:40

Hellocatshome · 28/05/2023 22:03

I have a short son whose sport favours tall people. I dont know how much any of these things help but he has researched them so we do them so he feels like he is doing something if you see what I mean. His 'maximise tallness' methods are:
Swimming (this is his sport so not hard to fit in)
Hanging from a pull up bar (not doing pull ups just hanging
Eating eggs everyday
Sleeping at least 10 hours a night

Sorry this made me laugh out loud.

All the above are great for your overall health and physique but will make diddly squat difference to the height you're defined to be.

Absolutely bonkers Grin

Hellocatshome · 29/05/2023 09:43

OuchIStubbedMyBigToe · 29/05/2023 09:40

Sorry this made me laugh out loud.

All the above are great for your overall health and physique but will make diddly squat difference to the height you're defined to be.

Absolutely bonkers Grin

Show quote history

Yes I know that but if it makes him happy and isn't damaging his health there is no point in stopping him is there.

BriarHare · 29/05/2023 11:49

In my experience (which is purely based on my sons and their mates 😬), the boys should shoot it in years 7 and 8 often end up the shortest.

I used to feel sad for my eldest, seeing him in y7 with his much taller friends. He is now taller than those boys who were pretty much done growing years before he was.

Original poster
jingjang · 29/05/2023 13:18

BriarHare · 29/05/2023 11:49

In my experience (which is purely based on my sons and their mates 😬), the boys should shoot it in years 7 and 8 often end up the shortest.

I used to feel sad for my eldest, seeing him in y7 with his much taller friends. He is now taller than those boys who were pretty much done growing years before he was.

Yeah, we have been holding onto that thought, though for some time now as DS2 is in Year 11.

OP posts:
heartsinvisiblefury · 29/05/2023 14:56

Have people's sons really had a growth spurt after 17/18? Is there still a chance my son could grow? I thought the cut off point was 16.

BriarHare · 29/05/2023 15:03

heartsinvisiblefury · 29/05/2023 14:56

Have people's sons really had a growth spurt after 17/18? Is there still a chance my son could grow? I thought the cut off point was 16.

There really is hope! As I said, our son did not grow until he was well over 18. He was only about 5’6 at 18 and now, at 20, he is 6’2 and still growing. (The slight downside of this rapid growth is stretch marks!)

Summertimesmile · 29/05/2023 15:08

Hold on a second. He’s 5ft 11 in presumably year 11. He doesn’t need a late growth spurt, he’s reasonably tall as it is. I’m sorry but this is a bit of a silly thing to be worrying about. If he was 5ft 4, sure, you’d want to have a bit more growth but sorry, the height he is, he may just have to get over it.

HappiDaze · 29/05/2023 15:12

DS went from 5'11 to 6ft overnight when 17. He'd been stuck at 5'11 for ages at least a year

HappiDaze · 29/05/2023 15:13

DS has been a size 11 for ages now but maybe we should check that too

HappiDaze · 29/05/2023 15:17

My DS was obsessed with getting to 6ft for some reason so would get me to measure him every few weeks or so.

I think he lied for a while saying he was 6 ft Grin and there was no reason to not believe him as he was 5'11 so made no difference to anyone if he was or wasn't.

LetMeJustCheckMyCitrusPocket · 29/05/2023 15:32

Ah, it makes me feel quite sad reading this. The greater height of a man still seems to be linked intrinsically in our society to being more attractive/masculine.

My own DS is almost 16 and just 5'7. He has Crohn's which, as an chronic inflammatory disease, can affect growth, as the body is busy trying to cope with the inflammation rather than grow.

He is so self conscious about his height, with his friends all being taller and growing. It really affects his self esteem and it's just the one thing that can't be changed.

I do sympathise with your son OP, but he sounds lovely and active and healthy, which is a blessing.

heartsinvisiblefury · 29/05/2023 16:23

LetMeJustCheckMyCitrusPocket · 29/05/2023 15:32

Ah, it makes me feel quite sad reading this. The greater height of a man still seems to be linked intrinsically in our society to being more attractive/masculine.

My own DS is almost 16 and just 5'7. He has Crohn's which, as an chronic inflammatory disease, can affect growth, as the body is busy trying to cope with the inflammation rather than grow.

He is so self conscious about his height, with his friends all being taller and growing. It really affects his self esteem and it's just the one thing that can't be changed.

I do sympathise with your son OP, but he sounds lovely and active and healthy, which is a blessing.

It makes me sad too as my son is 5ft 3" at 17 and no signs of him growing at all. I'd be over the moon if he was only slightly taller as it appears that not being tall, as this whole thread is showing (especially the OP with her already tall son being worried) is not a good thing.

RoseFl0wers · 29/05/2023 16:38

OP, it sounds like your son has already had his growth spurt if he has had size 10.5 feet for 4 years and been 5’11 for 2 years. My DP was 6’0” at 16 (his height was measured so he wasn’t one of those men who lie about their height) but 6’2” by 18 so it can happen. Might not happen for your son though.

RoseFl0wers · 29/05/2023 16:41

heartsinvisiblefury · 29/05/2023 16:23

It makes me sad too as my son is 5ft 3" at 17 and no signs of him growing at all. I'd be over the moon if he was only slightly taller as it appears that not being tall, as this whole thread is showing (especially the OP with her already tall son being worried) is not a good thing.

Show quote history

Out of curiosity, how tall are you and his dad? 5’3” is very short for a man - I’m 5’2” and a woman!

FannyFifer · 29/05/2023 16:46

I am 5'4, DH is 5'7 and I'd say 18 year old DS is about 5'6.
He's not grown in a while now so guessing that's prob him about done, We have pretty much no tall folk in either of our families.
Quite entertained at the thought of 5'11 being not tall enough, as that's a pretty decent height.

Original poster
jingjang · 29/05/2023 16:47

heartsinvisiblefury · 29/05/2023 16:23

It makes me sad too as my son is 5ft 3" at 17 and no signs of him growing at all. I'd be over the moon if he was only slightly taller as it appears that not being tall, as this whole thread is showing (especially the OP with her already tall son being worried) is not a good thing.

Show quote history

I'm not worried. Just hopeful for him, and drawing more hope from this thread.

OP posts:
heartsinvisiblefury · 29/05/2023 16:53

@RoseFl0wers I'm 5ft 4" and his Dad is 5ft 11"

Kylie1977 · 29/05/2023 16:53

AttilaThePun · 28/05/2023 19:34

5’11 is tall though.
I was all set to share a reassuring story about ds who barely grew until he was 16, but I won’t bother!

Attila please tell me. My son is 15,yr 10 and barely 5 foot. I said I would give it a few more months before seeing a Dr as I do think he's just a late developer and genetically both sides of the family are short, my heart really breaks when I see him so upset after teasing at school though and it really brings it home to me how little he is when I see him with his peers. V few signs of puberty,a few hairs under his arms maybe.

heartsinvisiblefury · 29/05/2023 16:55

@jingjang hopeful? Your son is a good height. You seem really quite oblivious at how your posts come across. Sorry but you do.

Marylou62 · 29/05/2023 16:56

My youngest DBro (of 4) was the shortest at 18..but he didn't stop growing until 21...6ft 6in now...

hopeishere · 29/05/2023 16:59

My son is 4foot 9 and is 15. We're on the pathway for hormone treatment to give him a boost. 5ft 11 is totally fine.