Last updated on November 7, 2024
Question:
Hi Mr. Jeff,
I recently took the Tanner Stage Calculator, and my result was 4.4. I was accurate as possible with my answers. The last time I wrote to you was when my Tanner stage was at 4.2 or so. I have, in the last 8 months or so, gone from being 5’8 to being 5’9.
I figured out that my father was actually 6’1 at his peak height. He suffers from a chronic disease that makes him shorter. My mother was about 5’4 at her peak or so. With these measurements of my height and my parents’ heights is there any chance for me to reach at least 5’11 or 180 cm? I am current 18 and a half.
Do you also expect me to reach stage 5 at 20 or more through 20 to 21? When I was 17, I made it clear by taking the test and got a result of around stage 3.9.
When will you expect me to get done growing taller and growing in general?
From the section for predicting my adult height, I have chosen ‘The KGH METHOD.’ It is the one that I trust the most to predict my final height.
When someone enters stage 5, does he finish all the growth that belongs to that stage in his mid-20s or more toward his late-20s?
And I also have heard that you have written a book, which I might be interested to purchase or know more of what the book is about. I am not Christian. To be honest, I am an atheist and my family believes in another religion. So don’t count me to be Christian. But is there a short text or introduction that I can read to have an idea of what your book is about?
So that was all I had to write for this time. And I hope you are doing well.
Answer:
I’ve written several books. The complete text for the one on the growth of boys is located on the same site as the various calculators under the “Book” tab. It is titled “Growing Up in the Lord: A Study for Teenage Boys.” If you are looking for something explaining what Christianity is about, try “The Lord Your God is an Awesome God!“
Each Tanner stage lasts roughly two years. Therefore, you should be reaching stage 5 sometime when you are 19 at the rate you are going. Stage 5, by definition, is when you stop growing in height though there are other changes that continue for another few years, such as widening of the shoulders, hair growth, muscle development, and brain development.
As you get closer to stage 5, your rate of growth decreases. I would expect your remaining growth to be somewhere around half an inch or one centimeter. You’ve already exceeded the minimum height for boys born to your parents (5’8.5). The genetics you receive from your parents is like the roll of the dice. You might wish the resulting role was different, but the key to happiness is learning to enjoy what you have. You have good health. That is more important.