ANSWERS: 5
  • Depends on the cause of the height. Tall parents (both in excess of 6'6") leads to tall children, the children often end up taller than the parents. In many cases doctors take care to look out for medical causes for gigantism since there is a myth or theory (uncertain which plays the strongest roll here) that gigantism is more common to tall people and their offspring. http://www.healthline.com/adamcontent/gigantism?utm_medium=ask&utm_source=smart&utm_campaign=article&utm_term=Gigantism&ask_return=Gigantism covers the causes of gigantism. Most of the tall children look 'normal' Often they look like they are 'older' meaning a tall 10 year old most likely could pass as a 16 year old. In younger children (5-7 years old) they are often pushed to do more and are treated like they are 10-12. If the cause is a disorder then other symptoms may be present, such as the distortion of features due to acromegaly. however that part usually sets in after puberty when 'normal' growth should have 'stopped' or slowed down. Their lives are usually not too different from average height children, they may be treated differently by other school children, considered older than they are thus are considered 'stupid' since they 'appear' to be held back a grade or two. As they grow older they grow taller and usually come up against physical limitations, door ways are 'too short' furniture is too short and uncomfortable, clothing shopping has to take place at specialty stores, or often enough they need tailored clothing. Stares, jeers and sneers are usually the biggest problem since 'normal' people are usually plain rude and mean.
  • I was looking for something regarding reaching 6 ft early. My husband is 6'4.5" and I'm 5'8.5" and my just turned 12 year 1 month old is at 6'2" with no signs of slowing. His shoe size is 12. Most people think he is 12-17 years old and wonder why his mom is driving him everywhere. Shopping is the worst for stares as people wonder why this teenager is hanging out with his mom and why she is helping him pick out clothes (standing at the changing room asking for him to come out and let me see). Pretty funny if you can look at in the right mindset. We have had him to an endocrinologist. He is in full puberty and even has the signs of a mustache. The endo said his bone age is at a 14-15 year old. Since most boys stop at 17-18, she says he probably has another year of growth left. He has no abnormalities with any hormones or growths or blood work, so we have to assume that gigantism isn't a factor, just tall genes (and tall jeans too - ha!) He has always been a head taller than his classmates since kindergarten. He was taller (around 5'2") than his 3rd grade teacher. Luckily, we live in a smaller city (around 30,000), so most people know him; but we did have trouble with other parents and coaches whenever he played little league basketball and baseball (birth certificates were always recorded). But as stated, people always thought he was older than his age, so they would look at him funny wondering why a 10-12 year old was playing with action figures when he was 6-7 years old. Also, even as a toddler - people would stare as to why I was strolling an elementary kid around when he was just 3 years old. People do expect them to act older than their true age and I've actually overheard some people stating that he must be mentally challenged is why he acts so young. They just can't comprehend that he was just too tall for his age. We also had to get larger desks for him at school (his legs wouldn't fit under the "normal" desks starting in 2nd grade). I was just looking to see if there were other kids out there that are going through the same issues as my son.
  • My grandson has Marfan's Syndrome which has caused him to be very tall, with very large feet. It is a problem trying to find clothes to fit him, because most stores don't carry pants for extra tall, extra skinny people, and shoes are also difficult to find. I cannot afford to buy an extra long bed for him, so we have had to make our own bed extender. He used to eat nearly all the time, to keep up with his fast growth, and everybody teased him for eating so much without getting fat. He looked like he was slouching when he was a teenager, but it turned out to be a medical problem, not posture. His spine is 35 degrees of curvature. He is a very quiet person, and good natured, which is a good thing, because when people meet him for the first time, they always joke about his height.
  • My son turned 11 in January and he is 6'1. We took him to an endocrinologist yesterday and praise God he got a clean bill of health. He too has always been much taller than his peers. Everyone expects more from him due to his stature. Every year on the first day of school we have a sit-down with his new teachers and make sure they realize that he is not older than any of his classmates and that he should be treated as fairly as his peers. We also make sure they have a desk that he fits in which is hard to find sometimes. When he was two his pediatrician predicted his height to be greater than 6’8 and yesterday the endocrinologist concurred. I am 6’0” and his Mom is 5’7” and she has the tall genes on her side of the family.
  • They just look older and have a career ahead in basketball.

Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC

Answerbag | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy