One taller than average child, one smaller

[Dryishjanuary]

Hi

I just wondered if anyone has experience of this? Both DH and I are taller than average - he’s 190cm and I’m 175cm and have a very tall DD age 15 who is around the same size as me.

DS on the other hand is small- well small for our family. He is age 13 and is just 151 cm. He is very slow growing and much smaller than his mates. He’s still in last years school shoes and school uniform. Eats like a horse and is very active, just doesn’t appear to be growing. His height is starting to bother him and he seems a bit concerned that he’s smaller than the rest of us. Anyone had similar? As I said, he’s not off the scale small but definitely small in our family.

Don't be concerned at 13, growth isn't always linear, it can slow down and speed up, but boys do take longer to fully grow.
Also, boys almost always end up taller than their mothers.

I knew someone who had twins (both boys) that one was always tall and well built, and the other petite. When they were toddlers, one was literally twice the weight of the other. When they finished growing one was 6'5 and the other 5'6, so nearly a whole foot between them.

However at 13yo my ds was still very much a "small boy". He's still growing at 15yo, but I think he's going to end up about 5'8/9.
Just before lockdown he was cast in a play in a young child's part. When they started replanning the play he was recast in an adult part.
There's plenty of time.

@Dryishjanuary it's all about where he is in puberty, in my understanding. If he's slightly later than average going into it, he has more growing still to do than average at his age. Even being a couple of months behind the average can make quite a difference. The fact he's been slow-growing in the last year suggests to me he has not properly hit puberty? Sounds like he's between 25th and 50th percentile at the moment(?), so certainly not short for the population as a whole. But sounds like he'll very likely grow more than average from here on in, given your and your DH's heights. From your description, I'd bet money on him overtaking a lot of his mates at around 15...

My kids didn't get the memo.
My eldest I think will end up being the shortest at 14 her 10 year old sister is set to over take her shortly, she's currently 5ft5 they both wear a size 5 shoe.
My 4 yr old who happens to the youngest of her year group is the tallest girl also.
I myself am 5'8 so not short short but my mum is only a tiny 5ft women.