How do I react to comments on my toddlers size?

[carameldecaflatte]

Hope this is the right place...

My lovely DS is 2 1/2 and well above 99% for height and weight, all in proportion.

My problem is the comments of other people, "Oh he's huge!", "He's NOT 2 1/2 is he?" "He's enormous!" and on and on.

I am well aware that I might be overthinking the whole thing but as someone who was tall as a child and believed that I was fat and then became fat I am desperate to minimise any negative impact these comments might have on him.

He is oblivious (hopefully) at the moment but I imagine that he will at some point start to hear these words. I don't want him becoming self-conscious or seeing himself as different.

How would you react? My thought is to answer these comments made within his earshot with something positive like, "Isn't it great!" "Isn't he lucky to be so tall! Lovely tall boy isn't he!"

Overthinking? Overcautious?

DD has always been over 95 centile for height. She is also a very good talker so often gets mistaken for being much older then she is and everyone comments on how tall she is. We have always treated it as a positive thing and take all comments as complements. I do sometimes worry though that me and dh are as guilty as other people of expecting too much of her sometimes. It is easy to forget she is still under 3 and only little really.

I think it's only some parents of tall children who see being tall as a negative. I'm tall and dont really understand that mindset, you are the height you are and get used to it.

My dds aren't that tall and it's funny when they make comments about 'I'll be taller than you one day' hmmmm.... probably not!

On the high expectations thing..

When DS was a baby he sustained a head injury. We took him to A&E and as he had been a bit floppy they wanted to keep him in and observe him.

Shift changed and a new Dr who you would have though would have read his chart came round to do obs. She said 'can you just put him down for me?' I did and he folded to the floor. She said 'I'm sorry, we won't be able to discharge you until we see him walking normally'. I said 'We'll be here a while then as he's only 9 months old'.

We got people asking ds why he wasn't walking as he is too big for me to push in the buggy from around 9 months, at which point he couldn't even crawl. He is 'only' around 85 th percentile but I'm 5 ft so he looks huge in comparison. OH (6 ft) never gets comments when he takes him out.

My 14 month old is off the chart and easily looks 2. If people politely comment I take it as a compliment and say something like " yes he takes after his daddy" (Dh is 6'2"). People have also said things along the lines of "he's huge!" To which I reply "Thank goodness!" Which seems to confuse people