Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask for your lovely stories about parenting tall sons?

125 replies

WombOfOnesOwn · 20/04/2018 23:25

My first little boy stayed at the 90th percentile for height from his first measurements on, with barely a wobble up or down. He's now over 2, which means his height percentile is likely, though not guaranteed, to stay similar. My husband is a similar height percentile and so that is expected and it's been nice to see him grow.

My new baby, though...his weight is 80th-90th percentile, but his length has, at every measurement, been climbing centiles. 98th at birth, then 99th, then 99.5th, 99.8th, 99.9th, and we are now at what the doctor's office said was "99.9th+" at not quite 2 months. He has been lengthening out of clothing sizes at a rate that shocked me even as the mother of a previous fairly tall baby.

I know that it is very early days and his measurements and centiles could well change, but I am a woman of 99.8th percentile height myself. It was not always easy to be six feet tall, especially not when I hit my full adult height as a preteen. Of course, a boy at the same centile would be much taller, to the point of it starting to make some things very difficult -- like economy seating on planes, for instance, or even doorways!

So tell me what's lovely and fun about tall sons as they enter the preteen, teenage, and adult stages. Do they like being tall? Tall mothers of tall sons, does it seem like it's easier for boys? I want to be able to look at this baby's development as exciting and look forward to the good parts, instead of fretting that he'll be a miserable giant every time he outgrows yet another item made for babies 3-4 times his age.

OP posts:
Jimwenttothedarklands · 21/04/2018 09:32

I was always the tallest in my class. By 12/13 I was 5'3" and never grew again! I'm now amongst the shortest in my social and work group.

My daighter is 7 and almost 5". She towers over her friends but loves it because she can help them reach things and she already wears my clothes!

PonderLand · 21/04/2018 09:32

I was off the chart for height, my mum had to cut all the baby grows feet off so they'd fit but I'm 5'8 now so not really tall.

Blondephantom · 21/04/2018 09:34

My lovely son is now 20 and rather tall. He also has autism and is quite awkward in nearly every social situation. He absolutely hates being touched especially when he isn’t expecting it. There are only two exceptions to this. When little old ladies in the supermarket tap him on the arm and ask him to reach something from a high shelf. He always smiles and then asks if they need anything else. Or when his little sister uses him as a climbing frame or wants a cuddle. He is a gentle giant when it comes to her.

If you asked him if he is frightened of anything, he would tell you no very confidently. Then add maybe my mum when she is cross.

applesisapple5 · 21/04/2018 09:34

This is so sweet, I'm 6'1" and my husband is 6'4", DSS (14) is as tall as me now!
For me, I feel being tall is seen as fabulous for boys but when I was growing very fast as a teenager I felt very awkward and didnt want to stick out. Now I regret that I didn't enjoy that time, and as an adult I know not to say really silly things like 'stand up straight' to DSS, as that never worked for me! I get what you mean about going on planes etc etc but the benefits by far outweigh the drawbacks!

NewYearNewMe18 · 21/04/2018 09:36

What is this endless 'centile' stuff burbled out? I don't understand it and neither am I going to dig out the red books and work back.

My boys are 6'5", 6'4.5" and 6"2. None of them have stopped growing yet. All of my side is well over 6 feet tall. Tall is normal for us.

What do you think is different to parenting "short" sons?

Height has many benefits - especially travel - everyone is wedged in your armpit in the tube whilst you remain head and shoulders above the rest. We also earn more
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/12187872/Size-does-matter-tall-men-and-slender-women-earn-more-throughout-life.html

Down side, you stand out in a crowd. It's difficult to be a bystander when yours is the face that is seen and recognised. Getting shoes is difficult. Tall clothes are more expensive because you often have to go to speciality shops.

Jimwenttothedarklands · 21/04/2018 09:36

Ah but yes... it does mean people sometimes expect too much of her as they assume she's lots older, it's hard to find age appropriate clothing, she can't play in some areas of soft play and the like and if she sometimes forgets she needs to be aware of her height and strength when she's playing with her friends, some of whom are literally half her size.

DarkPeakScouter · 21/04/2018 09:37

My eldest has always been tall. The hardest bit has been people reacting to his behaviour expecting two years more maturity because of his height. I found myself mentioning his age as nauseum to stop the nasty comments. Both boys love being tall and put my hand on their heads and tease me about being short. I’m 5’6, DH is 6’2.

WizardOfToss · 21/04/2018 09:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

lardymclardy · 21/04/2018 09:39

DS is 6ft5 with size 13 -boats- feet! He loves being tall now, although he did go through a stopping phase as a teen. I may be biased but he is very handsome and confident with it, how he doesn't get annoyed with the constant - blimey you're tall comments I'll never know.

It does come with it's downfalls though, flying back from hols last year, we were seated with a group of more elderly ladies. On disembarking - ooh young man would you mind terribly getting my case down for me, ooh and me please, ooh and... repeat until all lockers emptied, cue the ahh what a lovely young man fawning granny gang Blush

lardymclardy · 21/04/2018 09:39

*stooping pfft

blackteasplease · 21/04/2018 09:45

Yes I think it's much to early to say at only 2!

Plus tall people are all different just like everyone else!

blackteasplease · 21/04/2018 09:46

It definitely shouldn't be made into the most important thing about a person!

JessyJames · 21/04/2018 09:51

My DS was always on the 99th centile a a baby.

He is now 15 and is 6'3" with size 13 feet. He is a gentle giant, think rugby player physique. He loves his height and insists on calling me shorty - I'm 5'10"!

His year at school seems to be full of giant children. They had a line up and he is 20th tallest in the year. The year below are tiny.

Sparklingbrook · 21/04/2018 09:52

DS1 is 6'2" and still growing at 18. Even now the first thing some people say to him is 'ooh you're tall'.

Buying school trousers was a PITA as he is also v skinny.

DoomPoodle · 21/04/2018 09:59

The only thing I found, from having a friend with a very tall son, is that people would treat him differently to other kids his age. When he was 2 he was the same height as my 5 year old and people treated him like he was that age. (Always being asked why he wasn't in school). Likewise, by the time he got to 5 he was up to my shoulders, and people thought he was much older. Even knowing him well, it was sometime easy to forget that he wasn't old enough for some things
He is now 16, well over 6ft and lovely.

OverTheMountain42 · 21/04/2018 09:59

I have dwarfism and am 4ft 6. My DS is 4 and just reaching 4ft, you can imagine he's tall but looks even taller with me. His dad is 6ft 2.
DS hates being tall already, he wants to be little like me 🙄.

The thing I've found hardest so far is the behaviour, his cousin is 3 months younger than him but more the size of a 4 year old and the behaviour expectations of DS are far higher in the family than for his cousin.
He was out of a buggy much earlier as he was too heavy and couldn't fit in most, stopped fitting in the supermarket trolly seats at 3, out of nappies because of his huge rugby type player legs they would cut into him. Car seats were another that didn't last.

feelingdizzy · 21/04/2018 10:00

My 14 year old son is 6 ' 3 towers over me,he is lovely ,kind and gentle and would do anything for me .He is very David Bowie in his look ,loves music and carries it off with great style. He is taller than his friends but not by a lot, they are mostly 6 ft so all seem taller generally. My dd is 16 and about 5 ' 8 and that seems average height for her friends.

BestIsWest · 21/04/2018 10:01

DS is 6’4 at 20 with size 13 feet He’s lovely. He jokes about being tall - I don’t think it bothers him.

He was always the tallest in his class by a head. It sometimes led to people treating him as older than he was. One memorable time was at the local pool when he got put in with the 11 year olds water polo class - he was about 7 or 8 and was completely exhausted trying to keep up with them.

Alwayslumpyporridge · 21/04/2018 10:07

My DSis was the tallest on her class in primary but it 5ft2 as an adult. My DD is tallest in her class and taller than a lot in the year ahead of her I am not worried, she likes being talk, I like being tall.

YippeeTipTap · 21/04/2018 10:07

The first thing the doctor said when DS1 was born was gosh he is tall. From which I deduced I had given birth to a boy. Anyway he was really tall as a child then slowed down as a teen and had ended up a very normal 6’3 (and a half). I think around that height is nice a tall but not an issue in anyway. He doesn’t even need tall clothes.

We think it gives him extra confidence and presence. I knew some brothers who were 6’7 and 6’8 and they would get comments when they went out which was irritating for them.

Pinkponiesrock · 21/04/2018 10:07

My eldest is 5’3 and size 10 feet at 11 yo.
I’m reasonably tall at 5’7 but I grew to that height at 14 and haven’t grown since, I was a really tall preteen.

My legs are really short though, I have really long upper body, surprised I don’t topple over!

fleshmarketclose · 21/04/2018 10:08

Ds at two height prediction was 6 feet 6 as an adult he is 5 feet 11. He was a long baby, tall toddler, tall infant and then slowed to a slightly below average teen. I thought the predictions were wrong anyway as I'm five feet nothing so we did look somewhat odd as my shortness just emphasised his height.

crunchtime · 21/04/2018 10:20

My son is 18. He is 6' 7" with size 15 feet.
He likes being tall-it gets him lots of attention and the girls all seem to like it.
However, the downside is...it gets him lots of attention. People feel the need to tell him that he is tall..as if he didn't know. Strangers commenting all the time gets annoying and a bit embarrassing. Oh and everyone asks him if he plays basketball-he doesn't!

Buying anything with long sleeves is hard. He wears t shirts or shirts with the sleeves rolled up all the time. Shoes are a bit of a nightmare. We tend to buy online because moist shops don't sell anything beyond a 12.

When he was younger the problem was the behaviour thing-people expected him to behave like a 5 year old when he was 2.

steppemum · 21/04/2018 10:24

ds is 6'2" and only 15! He has soze 13 feet too.

I honestly can't think of anythign negative about being a tall boy, expect 2 practical ones.
clothes were always a bit of an issue, and he grew out of little kids cute dinosaur T shits etc very early, and was in men's clothes very early. (more expensive)

When he was little, so only 3, he looked 5 or 6, and there were times when people expected him to behave that way, and I had to shield him from that a bit.

We are all tall, dh is 6' and my dad is 6'3" and my brothers 6'3" and 6'5" buying clothes is the only drawback!

steppemum · 21/04/2018 10:25

Oh, ds is tall with red hair, which does mean that every single teacher has always known who he is and if a group are misbehaving, they know he is in the group! so yes to the attention