Teens are getting taller

patchwork_cat

My DS is approaching 5 ft 10 and is 16, now I think this is a good height, but he feels short. The teens around here are very tall with 6 ft 2 or 3 not being extraordinary at all.

My DH is 6 ft and while not being enormous when we met 23 years ago he was tall, but now he seems smaller and no he isn't shrinking, yet!!

Have you found this as in my straw poll the teens are more like 2 or 3 inches taller than my generation, not the 3/4 inch I have seen quoted.

savingmummy

Yes! Kids are much taller nowadays - mt parents have noticed this too.
My dd is 4 and is much taller then i or any of my other nieces or nephews ever were at the age of 4! She is 3ft 5".

I see boys from senior school who are mostly over 6ft and look down on their teachers

Penny-Pincher!!

I am 35 and 5 foot 10. Husband same age and 5 foot 11...DD 15 and 5 foot 7 but still growing!

Not sure on statistics though, but I do think teens are taller nowadays.

PP
xx

oystercatcher

My boys complain about being short, two are 5'9" ...the 19 year old is 5'4" interestingly he was the one who was biggest when he was born !
We definitely have short genes in our family as the two 'big' ones are bigger than their Dad!

My brother and I were bigger than our parents and now this next generation seems even bigger (apart from my middle son!) ! I guess nutrition has improved a gret deal even since the 60's and 70's!

patchwork_cat

They say it is nutrition, but personally myself and my friends in the 70's and 80's ate a more nutritious diet than most of his mates! All our food was homecooked and protein twice a day, whereas it is not unusual for his friends to have chips for lunch and a ready meal for dinner (we ofcourse as MSE's mainly cook from scratch! and I am a firm believer in plenty of protein - not in agreement with that on the old style board!)

He is increasing his dairy as despite best intentions I don't think we get enough dairy.

I am short and so there is a certain amount of guilt ( although there is nothing I can do about it!), but feel that 5 ft 10 and 16, therefore still growing is a good height - doubt he will beat his dad, no matter how much he wants to, still you never know!

eamon

I recall a Japanese study that mentioned a similar thing in that as it acquired a more western diet (increasing the intake of beef protein) the population was getting taller.

kingfisherblue

It's not just teens that are getting taller - my ten year old son is just over five feet tall. He takes an adult size nine shoes - bigger than the male teacher in his primary school!

His dad is 6' and I am 5'6", so although we're both tall, we're not exceptionally so. My son has always been quite tall, though. As a toddler, he was referred to a paediatrician because the health visitor thought he might have precocious puberty due to his height and development. All tests proved negative though - but he hasn't stopped growing!

His height is also made more obvious because his older brother has Down's syndrome and is shorter - so people think that the youngest is the oldest and vice versa.

dogcat_2

My daughter is 12...takes a size 8 shoe...same as me...and is taller than me...she is 5' 8". Lets hope she doesn't keep growing.......!

pinkshoes

I was 5'9" at the age of 13 (in 1993...), and at the time was bullied for being tall, and felt like a freak. I was SO much taller than all the boys.

I only grew an extra 2" after that, and now I actually feel quite normal height walking round, as I see many teenage girls tall than me, or at least the same height.

I think it's great!!

slummymummyof3

My 12 year old DS has size 10.5 feet and is 5'7'', 14 year old DD has size 8.5 feet and is 5'5''. Don't know where the big feet are coming from but am starting to panic that won't be able to buy shoes 'off the shelf' soon.

luxor4t

I'm 5'6" which used to be tall around here: size 7/8 feet
DH is 6'8" which is tall anywhere!
DS1 (aka shorty) is 6'2" (just within normal) size 12 feet age 24
DD is 6' size 9 feet age 22
DS2 is 6'4" size 13 feet age 19

They ALL buy clothes off the peg & shoes of the shelf & certainly don't pay 'specialist' prices! (it helps that they are all in proportion ie nobody has extra long legs etc)
DD goes to Evans for her shoes & like the boys, swoops down on Brantano twice a year.