Last updated on July 2, 2023
Question:
I wanted to ask a question about growth. I’m a 13-year-old, and my tanner stage, depending on what answer I give for some estimates, is 2.9-3.0, but right now, I’m 5’6. I was 5’2 when I turned 12. My brothers are either average or quite tall, ranging from 5’9, 6 ft, and 6’3. I only got the ability to ejaculate a bit after I turned 12, and at that time, I was probably only 5’1 or maybe even 5 ft. I just wanted to ask, is it normal to start growing at a different time than your siblings? They all started getting spurts at around 12, with my tallest brother being 5’9-5’10 at that age. He got a growth spurt around the age of late 13 or early 14 that increased his height incredibly. A secondary question, could I reach a near height of his?
Answer:
There are a few minor points that cause confusion on my part. At one point you said you were 5’2 when you turned twelve. At a later point you said were 5’0 or 5’1 a bit after you turned 12. It isn’t a big deal, but it does make it difficult to sort the flow of information.
A second problem is that since you are 13, this means you grew somewhere between 4 and 6 inches in the last year. That would be considered a fairly strong growth spurt, which would mean you are in stage 3, not at the start of the stage.
There can be up to 10 inches difference between siblings — there is that much variation in the genes that you inherit from your parents. Therefore, every sibling is not going to develop exactly the same.
Generally (this is not an absolute rule), when someone starts his growth spurt early he ends up being shorter than someone who starts his growth spurt later. The simple reason is that the later grower is building on a taller starting point.
The period of rapid growth (stage 3 of development) lasts about 2 years. I assume that most of your growth in the last year has come recently. This would mean you still have another 1.5 years of potentially rapid growth.
Question:
Thanks for the response. I’m sorry for the few mistakes in the question, I was a bit tired at the time of writing.
Pretty much, I was 5’2 when I turned 13, not 12. I know this as I was measured a few months beforehand at 5’2 and was still shorter than my mother by an inch who is 5’3/5’3.5. I am pretty sure at in the early stages of 12, I was 5’0 or 5’1. Since the last time I can remember, I am pretty sure I started developing secondary sexual characteristics (pubic hair, sex drive) at around mid-11. It would be nice to have a nice small response to this if you could.
Answer:
That clarifies matters quite a bit. You were in stage 2 since you were 11. You’ve grown 4 inches since you turned 13, which means you are definitely in stage 3 and not at the start of stage 3. How much more you will grow is difficult for me to predict. I still believe you have about 1.5 years of potentially rapid growth left.