To ask for your lovely stories about parenting tall sons?

[WombOfOnesOwn]

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.

My two sons are 6'2" and 5'11" respectively, I'm 5'1 ( and a bit!) Both overtook me in their early teens after relatively slow starts-neither were especially tall as youngsters although they were very heavy babies ( 9.11 and 9.13 at birth) so were "stocky" when young and then just grew!
It hasn't really been a problem, they like being tall, I like being small! However, they did go through a patronising stage where they would pat me on the head as if I were the child and they the adults!

They do come in handy though, especially for changing lightbulbs!!

I am just over 5'2" and my eldest son is on course to be about 6'5". I don't really understand why you'd worry about this? Whatever height they are, you will adore them and hopefully instil confidence in them so who cares?

DS1 is 14 and around 5’11. He is a rugby player and he is not the tallest on his team by several inches.
His height isn’t a problem at all.
There is someone in DS2 school (primary) age who is off the scale and taller than many of the teachers. I have to keep reminding myself how young he is.

Not a child but my brother is almost a foot taller than me at 6'3" he's only got size 8 feet though. He also has dyspraxia but you wouldn't really be able to tell these days & it's never stopped him from rock climbing & all types of outdoor activities.

He has to duck a lot in my parents house through doors but I don't think his height has ever really bothered him.

Unless of course we are out shopping & I have to keep telling him to slow down! H everything often forgets I have to take 2 steps to every 1 of his!

Should be He not h everything!

You get through clothes and shoes quicker as you go tgrough each size in 3/4 of tge time a shorter child does and MN constantly suggests your child is probably fat not tall. But there have been no issues. My son seems to like being tall. Not hit teens yet though.

I'm 5'2''. My just turned 15yo is 6'2'' and a size 12 feet. He was born very tall at 60cm and always remained tall although he plateaued a bit around 11/12 and then should up at 13yo. He has always been much taller than his friend. I expect he will end up at least 6'4'' and possibly more.

So far, it hasn't been an issue for him at all. He is who he is. It is odd sometimes to see him next to his friends as he looks so much older. The only two things I can think of where his height has come into play is that he has always been self-conscious when playing sport as he has a gentle soul and was always scared to injure the other kids. I was quite surprise when his PE teacher said to him that he shouldn't let this hold him back and he should use it in his favour. To be fair, that did set him free a bit and he is now much better at tackling in football without having hurt anyone so far.

The other issue which I didn't think about until recently is flying. Not only is he tall but he is all legs. Unfortunately, he is too young to seat next to an exit so can't benefit from the extra leg room. Last year we went to Florida, so 9 hours in and I did feel bad for him, but he was ok.

MN constantly suggests your child is probably fat not tall.

Oh yes, I remember a long debate with one poster who said that any child 2 or more sizes ahead of their age had a weight issue, and that being overweight made them grow more than they should so they became taller (or some such rubbish)

ds was always stick insect thin, underweight if anything, and usually 3 sizes ahead on shirts and tops and one size ahead on trousers.

One of the things I’ve had to be on the ball with is the higher risk of bone Cancer in taller children. Every new ache and pain, if it lasts for more than a week, is investigated by a doctor.

really? i've never ever heard that?

Like a pp, I was told when DS1 was a baby he would be 6'6" tall, as he was over the 100th centile.

He is nearly 18 and 5'11" and looks like he has stopped growing.

So hold your horses with your worrying . . .

One fun thing about having a tall, child is realising how many other people fib about being over 6’. My shortest son is a teeny fraction under 6k. If he tilts his head or stretches upwards he reaches 6’ but measured properly he isn’t. (We use set squares and levels when measuring 😂). Anyway it always amuses him how many people who are clearly shorter than him say the are over 6’

Tall sons are lovely.

tbh, I think that the 'being VERY tall' is more of an issue for girls / women than it is for boys - so you may be projecting your own experiences onto him in a way that turns out to be unnecessary.

The only issues i have encountered:

• Tall pre-schoolers, and those in KS1, are often expected to be 'more mature' than their shorter age peers. So when your just turned 3 year old throws a tantrum, passers by will comment that they are 'too old for that' and state 'he should be in school' ...and are genuinely surprised when you state they are 3 rather than their guess of 6. For some reason, the passer by always gets huffy at that point, because their mistake is your fault for having a tall child...

• This also applies to ability in any area - academic, sport, anything else like music or dance. A small child of the same age and same ability is 'so brilliant'. Yours is 'just average'.

• Age appropriate clothing can be a problem. Your child may still want a Thomas the Tank engine T-shirt (because they are 3 or 4) but they don't make them in age 7/8. This is worse for girls, tbh, but it is an issue for boys too.

My boys both fulfilled the age two height predictions. DS1 is 6'2 and DS2 is 6'4".

Interestingly they did the big growth spurt at very different ages. DS1 was 6' in primary school and yet DS2 didn't reach 6' until he was 15. He then overtook his older brother.

When they were little it was a disadvantage because people assumed they were older than they were, thought the tantrumming 3 year old was about six.

The taller one (currently at uni) suffers with back problems as most desks are too low.

The most noticeable change I remember concerns hugs. Seemingly overnight I realised I was reaching up to hug them rather than down. Downward hugs are better. Thankfully I still get plenty though there is a tendency for them to pick me up and swing me round.

In the teenage years it's shoes.
Size 11 feet and trainers, school shoes, football boots etc. can take over the house.

Oh, and watch out for stretch marks during growth spurts. DS's spine looks like a zebra....

I found it funny when son started towering over me, he is quite protective of his mum who is 11 inches shorter than him. Mainly it was a pain though, the worst thing was people expecting him to behave like a child 2 or 3 years old than him because he looked that age. Finding suitable clothes e.g. not wanting school shoes for a 2 year old. Filling his hollow legs when he could eat for England. He was off the chart from day one for height, weight and head circumference.

Oh yes, head size. Adult sunhats for a 2 year old..

And never being able to wear the hats in a dressing up outfit.

He tells me the best bit as a teenager was being able to get served alcohol before he was 18 as apparent everyone assumes you are older if you are tall. I'm not sure I think that was a great thing.

No help parenting a tall boy but some insight into having a tall younger brother. He was average height for much of his childhood, and very naughty and always in trouble. His height suddenly arrived when he was about 14 and overnight he also became the calmest, most gentle person I know. It's like he hated being thought of as a little child so as soon as he grew tall he could let go of that frustration and just focus on being himself.

He's now a grown man and women of all ages love him.

Those the same age as him fancy him and his height is part of that. Older women love his gentle, quiet nature and are always asking him to help them across roads, reach for stuff of shelves etc. He always obliges and they are always so happy . Relatives adore him because, being so tall, he can eat and eat and never gain weight so is always being given puddings to finish off, etc. His mum loves a cuddle from her tall son because it makes her feel like his 'little' mum.

Other men listen to him because, even though it's unfair, height = leadership for many people.

Being a tall man is easier than being a tall women, I think.

My nephew is 6ft 2, he has size 11 feet, he's 12. People always question his age but it doesn't bother him.

I have a 12 year old who is 5ft10 and was way off the percentile scale from birth. No idea what height he's likely to get to but I assume 6ft4 at least. He already towers over me.

He has always always been the tallest boy at school and he has always quite liked that although he has just started secondary and there are a few equally tall boys in his year now and he now quite likes not being the only tall one.

He has always had a natural advantage sports wise - particularly in swimming and field athletics ( running and football not so much!) He would get picked for every school sports competition in primary school and this was great for boosting his self esteem.

My son embraces his height and walks around the house on tip toes to make himself even taller so I'm pleased he isn't someone who tries to slouch to make himself smaller. We have always been very positive about his heigh though so he sees it as a good thing.

The negatives have all been mentioned already. I must have spent most of his childhood saying "but he's only X years old!" And the cost of clothes now I have to buy from the men's department!

We do try to book extra legroom seats on long haul flights and we have had to accept that family hotel rooms are no longer suitable as the extra beds tend to be child sized so we have to book two rooms or go for an apartment/villa.

my sons are 6' 2 and 6'5 we're a rugby family so have always been around tall men. Neither was bullied for their height. The worst thing was trying to get clothes to fit the taller ones torso he's really unusual that he only wears 30" trousers but has an abnormally long body.

DS just turned 7 and is very tall for his age - and his feet are a size 3.

People do double take when his age is mentioned and I have to remind him that other children aren’t as strong which he sometimes finds frustrating. But he wins all the running and swimming competitions at school!

I’m 5’11 and his dad is 6’2. My dad is 6’4, grandad 6’5, cousin 6’5 - tall family. I don’t tend to mention DS’ height but he’s very excited that one day he’ll be taller than me! Dr predicted 6’3-6’7. I reckon he’ll end up being 6’4-6’5.

My two were always tall. In primary school they were always way ahead of their peers. I am 5ft2 and dh is 6ft6

My oldest had a massive growth spurt when he was 12 and grew 8 inches between May & August, then a couple of cm a year - he's now 20 and just a shade over 6ft and many of his peers are taller than him.

My 16yr old has smaller, steadier growth spurts but is currently 6ft2 and still growing. However - where he was always the tallest in class up to the age of about 14, he is now only the 6th tallest.

The only drawback to being tall is arms and leg length of clothes. To get longer lengths you have to get a bigger size and then the are too big overall.

When dh was growing up his height was seen as "freaky", he was 6ft6 at age 13. But now there are so many tall people around, girls as well as boys, that my two don't really stand out at all.