Burst my friend's bubble?

[Flyingmonica]

My friend goes on about her son likely being tall - 6 foot 3 based on the UK growth chart. Would I be unreasonable in telling her that because she isn't very tall, this is unlikely to be the case and that the growth chart predictions are rubbish?

She is sold on the idea of her son being tall and her son has come to believe that too but I think that now he is approaching puberty, he may become very disappointed.

Should I just leave it be or should I give her a dose of reality?

My dad and stepmum are both about 5ft 6. My brother (their joint son) is 6ft 3. I would hold off on assuming either of you are right. Is it really something you have to “burst her bubble” about anyway?

If I had the Hubble space telescope I still couldn’t locate my interest in this non problem.

Yes it sounds like it.

We are 5'2" and 6'2". Based on DD1's early trajectory and following her growth curve, it looked like she would end up being 6'. Doubling her height at 2 also put her above that. I knew how unlikely it was though. As it turns out, she had big growth spurt at 11/ 12 and stopped at a normal 5'6.5" by the time she was 14. Nobody can tell what will happen at puberty.

DD2 is 5'3".

Yep.

From a long list of contenders:

The Most Pointless and Tedious MN Threads of 2025

This one comes straight in at Number One.

My nephew is 6'3". His dad is 5'7" and his mum is 5'4". Nephew was a big baby, but I've no idea where he was on growth charts as a kid. Basically, anything can happen. I would not say anything.

I'm 5ft 4 (164cm), my son was 64cm when he was born, so only a metre behind me from birth and is now 6ft at 12 years old.

Disappointment for what? Is height really that important? 🤔. You sound very shallow and I think you might need to get a new hobby rather than trying to prove people wrong.

I have 1 ds who is 6f 4" and my other son is 5f 10". Same father.
I don't think a height predicter chart is very accurate tbh

It is true that the majority of women are in a relationship with a man who is taller than they are. But then they would be, wouldn't they? Because on average, men are taller than women.

The growth charts aren't just base don when they were a baby. It shows the percentile lines for all ages, so if she's looking for his age and he's on the 75th percentile or whatever, then if she looks to age 18 or whatever that is showing where he should end up height wise if he doesn't change growth line.

Or you could mind your own business. Are you sure she's a friend because that's not how it sounds.
How tall someone is going to be is very hard to predict and early growth patterns aren't necessarily indicative. She may well be disappointed or not - only time will tell.
I'm 5'4, my DH is 5'9. Both our sons are 5'11. Oddly enough, in the last year of primary school, I was the tallest girl in my class. Everyone always said I'd be tall. Didn't quite work out. Although nobody was disappointed as far as I know. It is what it is.

I think your friend would be well advised to distance herself from you.

My sister is about 5”6. Her eldest (female -19) 6”2 middle son (17) 6”3 youngest boy is 14 but 5”8.

Their dad is just under 6ft. Only the 1st boy was showing high in percentiles as a kid. Then they all just kept growing!!

Boys shoot up at 13/14. Neither of you have any true idea how it will pan out. Leave it. Shall may be disappointed, but she will love him and think he’s perfect regardless. I think you need to look at why this bothers you.

Why on earth do you think you have some duty to point out to a friend her son might not be tall?
FWIW DH is 6 foot. His dad is about 5’10”. And his mother 5”4.

Not your circus, not your monkeys. Butt out.

The charts are predictors based on statistics though aren't they? They aren't just random.
My two aren't adults yet but my oldest as a toddler was between 50th and 75th centile and whenever I check it again at 14 he is still there, prediction is for 5'9- 11 depending which percentile he's closest to in the end as he tends to bob about a bit. Youngest has always been at 91st percentile, everytime I check so prediction is for 6'1. I am very short.

Seriously OP you are being really nasty. It sounds to me like you'd love it if he turned out not tall.

He will be what his genes dictate. There is nothing that can be done about it so why are you soooo desperate to "burst her bubble"?

You haven't got her interests and well-being in mind, you're just getting some satisfaction in putting her down.

Shame on you.

late growth spurts happen, OP. My brother was on the small side for his age but had a growth spurt in late puberty. He is 6ft5, our mother was 5ft3 and dad scraped 5ft9. I can’t understand why you’d get yourself involved in something that isn’t your concern or responsibility.

So he's 75th centile and will be between 5.11 and 6ft. According to the growth charts if they're right. So he will be tall but not a giant.

Women can be annoying about the height of their son's. I've experienced this too. But it seems better to just agree with them and get onto talking about something more interesting!

“Oh that’s good, you’ll be able to play basketball”

Let it go. You don’t need to invest this much energy in this. It matters not- it won’t be the horrible shock you’re suggesting, it’s not exactly going to be sudden.

I'm adopted but have sibs who are the biological offspring of my adoptive parents. My APs were both below average height, as was my biological mother. 3 of us are above 6 foot, one sib is a little over 5 foot. The tallest of us was a wee, round fella at Tanner Stage 2 & hardly increased in height until a growth spurt in his late teens took him to 6 foot 3 or 4, & because height is not nearly as important as you imagine, I forget which it is.

Really don't think you've got the hang of this human development lark.

If he ends up short he ends up short. I don’t see why you making him and his mother miserable and lacking in hope now is any better than him being disappointed later. His mother must know that it’s not an exact science.