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.

I forgot another advantage. DS2 (6'4") is a useful landmark in busy airports I can always spot him in a crowd.

I'm about the same height as the OP, with a taller husband. That alone means our children are likely to be quite tall.

Growing up I was the right-off-the-charts child with poor coordination etc, so people always expected more of me than was appropriate. Apparently when I started school, young in the year, someone in the infants section took one look and said "the primary school's that way".

As it turns out my own children have grown relatively early - this has probably reduced their final heights from what they could have been. My daughter is about 5'8" - and has been so since 12. She's now feeling decidedly average compared to when younger as there are plenty of girls taller than her and all the boys are passing her.

My son is 12, almost 6' (ie will overtake me soon!), looks about 15. Luckily quite a lot of the time he can behave to that standard. He is very gangly as all teenagers are, and I have had to remind him that we have to hug on equal terms, he can't lean his whole weight on me any more! Clothing has been an issue on and off, I am now realising he will be in too-wide clothes for the forseeable unless I do some adjusting.

I was a tall girl growing up, and still tall now.
School Shoe shopping was tear enducing because they would just bring out boys shoes - you won’t have a problem there.

But if they do turn out to be tall, manage people’s expectations. Mum did have to tell people my actual age on occasions if they were expecting too much of me. So just make sure they get to be kids for as long as possible because soon they’ll be the designated underage vodka buyer

Centiles just show the average distribution of heights across the population at any given age. Typically taller children end up as taller adults but it’s not a guarantee and many people don’t follow the trajectory of the centile lines. I was fairly average height as a child then kept on growing when others had slowed (now 6ft). DS1 is so far so average height wise whereas DS2 is a lanky bean.

I think you have to be really quite tall as a male before height starts being a disadvantage. I’m hoping my DSs stay below 6ft5 or so - I think the point at which you stop just being tall and it starting to be your defining feature that risks drowning out other characteristics.

Oh and by definition there’s no such thing as ‘over the 100th centile’

Ha ha Bubbins that was my post you were referring to!

You are quite right of course.

That was what the GP said. I have just dug out DS's red book though - 99.6th centile at birth is 56.3 cm, DS was 58cm, way above that line so I guess that's why he said that. And he was wrong anyway, as I mentioned!

My 3 boys are all over 6ft 2''

My husband says its like watching a mob moll when he see's me walk in with them lol

My son is 6ft 3.5.He loves being tall :)

Other parents always seem to expect more from tall kids because they look older, it can be so frustrating. And when you tell them how old your DC is, they act shocked, or like you're lying or making excuses for them acting like children. Also finding clothes that fit properly is next to impossible (especially pants- they either fit around the belly and are miles short, or are long enough but way too loose around the tummy).

In general tall men have an advantage and do better in life.

I think up to the 11/12 age it can be hard because people will expect him to be older than he is. But after that ... it is all good about being a tall man.

When my DS was born he was on the 99.6th centile for height but mid line
for weight and I remember getting upset with my Mum that he was going to grow into a giant .
He followed the 99th centipede for a few years. His first shoes at 12 mths old were size 5 and half. His height slowed a little at primary school but then sped up again at high school.
He's now 20 and at University. He is 6ft 2 and wears size 11 shoes - he loves being tall. He's a very loving and caring man.
I'm 5ft 5 and his Dad is 5ft 8 - his Dad stands on one of the bottom stairs to be taller than him when they hug goodbye. ❤️

Ds1 is 10. I have no idea of his height but he was always above the 99th centile as a baby and is now a good head taller than most of the boys in his class. In size 6 shoes already and age 13 trousers.

He loves being tall and it's something his classmates competitively measure and compare amongst themselves. So I don't think it's a problem for boys. Dh is 6'2 and I'm 5'5.

I would assume that boys/men would enjoy it as it’s definitely seen as desirable to be 6ft+ for males. I reckon that they would embrace it rather than be embarrassed/inconvenienced and enjoy towering over their peers and playing sports etc. Being able to do adult things early like going clubbing perhaps. I can only think inconveniences would be people assuming they are older then they are so adult tickets etc

Also agree with height as a youth not being indicative of height as an adult. I was taller than most of my peers until year 8, and I have been one of the shortest ever since as I didn’t really grow much further. (I’m sure your son will be taller though!)

DS1 is huge - like, 6'5" I think. DS2 is also well over 6ft. They've been like that since Y10/11.

You just get used to it. Still, it comes in handy when you want a lightbulb changing or your ceilings dusted.

I love love love hugs from my 6'3".
he was average height till late teens but we knew he would grow...and he did.

I have a DD who is two and a half and is looking to be very tall while I'm only 5 foot 6. I really hope she hits 5 foot 10 or even taller. Tall women look stunning and I've always been envious.

I have a tall dd. She is 8 and 142cm with size 4.5 feet. She wears age 12 clothes.

She isn't self conscious about her height at all. It's easy to forget she is only 8 though and I have to make sure my expectations of her are appropriate.

I believe that height at age 2 is a reliable indicator of adult height.

And be prepared to be challenged about under 5 entry to attractions/ train fares etc! But really, their height is a non issue.

My son is off the percentile chart for height and 99th for weight at 11m old. He was born 7lbs 6 on his due date, and was 90th for height even then.

All of the men on my maternal side are 6ft2+, my Uncle is 6ft5. But they're all in proportion, just like my son. Built like brick shithouses and rugby players.

I can't wait to see my son grow up to play Rugby League personally and he'll be very handy for putting things in the top cupboard.

He is bloody heavy though and the size of an average 2yr old already at 11m and I'm very excited for him to walk properly soon

Its lovely having tall sons! I'm 5ft 9, their dad is 6ft 3, all 3 of our kids were 10.5lbs when born (within half an ounce anyway) and were in 3-6 month baby clothes within a couple of weeks!

Now, eldest boy (21) is 6ft 4.5", second son (21) is 6ft 6.5" and daughter (17) is 5ft 5! Boys still hug their mum all the time, and its like being hugged by big bears!

They were always taller than their class mates, especially second son but any remarks such as "is there snow on your head" rolled off his back fortunately!

It is interesting that in eldests school year, he was only average height during early teenage years but the others stopped growing at 16 and he carried on and is now 4" taller than the rest! Second sons year seemed to be a tall year and whilst my son was extra tall many of his classmates are over 6ft - girls in this year were also tall. daughters year the boys were much smaller whilst the girls were all around 5ft 5!

Ds1 was ridiculously tall at age 11 - he went through puberty very early and at that time did feel very self conscious that he was literally head and shoulders above all his friends. Took me a while to realise we didn't have a strange man in the house - he grew so quickly! But he now loves his height - has hovered around 6'2" since being 14/15. He's 16 now and really wants to get to 6'3" but I think he's stopped growing..! He loves being taller than most people and does v helpful jobs for his grandma and aunty who live down the road and are both very short!

Ds2 is 14 and about 5'11" so has taken longer to get going but is having a growth spurt at the moment so I think will be another tall one - he can't wait to be the same size as his brother so the fights are evened out

My 13 yo is 5”9’
Was above the 100th centile for height age 2!
Lots of pros to being tall! He’s a gentle giant.

DS1 was very tall until he was about 15 when his classmates caught up. He was literally head and shoulders taller than the class up to that point. In primary school there was a bit of whispering from mums who didn't know us that he had been held back and was a year or two older than the others. People did expect more from him behaviour-wise because he looked older.

Clothing was difficult. He was fat big as well as tall, which made getting trousers very problematic and he grew in big bursts of "out", "up", "out", "up" so he'd be fat, then tall, then fat again.

Today he's 6ft 1, at 32 so not tall by any standards and he's got a burly, rugby playing physique. He's still greedy and inclined to fat though . I wouldn't have said it was genetic as I'm 5ft 4 and his father 5ft 9, but his wife has just had their pfb and he's a whopper too .

DS2 is a 5ft 11 in string bean, so go figure...

My ds who is 12.5 is exactly 6 feet tall. He's always been at the top end of the scale. I've no idea what height he'll end up at. I'm only 5 foot 3! Dad is 6ft. He's a confident child, we've always tried to make him feel proud of his appearance. He is ginger too. Girl's seem to be fond of him.

The only downsides are getting clothes to fit a tall but very skinny figure. People assuming he's much older than he is. Also, I really resent having to pay extra for adult sized clothes and shoes.

When my ds was young I used to feel a bit cross that because he was tall, things changed earlier than children of a more average size. So I couldn’t carry him in his sling for as long. He wouldn’t fit into a buggy. Etc etc it also made car seats a pain as he was always too tall for age and weight appropriate ones.

But it was good for development as when all his peers were still being carried if they were tired, he just had to continue walking as was far too heavy to carry.

When he started school, everyone just assumed he was a September baby (although he’s in fact June) so there was always an assumption that he would be one of the brightest. I found myself saying a lot - his birthday is not until June.

He is still the tallest in the class in year 6 and loves it