Cassy Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 What is the average age for a boy to hit puberty? DS13 is showing no signs whatsoever so far, which, from my memories of boys when I was that age, is entirely normal. DS13 insists, however, that most boys in his year at school started to go through puberty a year or two ago. So a boy starting puberty at age 11? That doesn't seem quite 'normal' to me, but maybe I'm wrong. What are other people's experiences? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leanna Tomlinson Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 I've got two extremes of "normal" in my own household. My oldest ds(now 18) was definitely well on his way to maturity on his 13th birthday. He was 6 feet tall, he voice was deep, etc. Ds #2 will be 15 next month. He barely shows any signs of puberty and is starting to get highly irritated about it. Many of his younger friends have grown taller than he. The pediatrician assures us that ds is completely normal. The Dr. labelled him a "Tanner stage 2", and said for that early stage of puberty he is well within normal limits. Ds #3 is 13 and is 4 inches taller than his brother, outweighs him by 30 lbs, and his voice is changing. The Pediatrician also assures me that this is normal. There is a woman at church who has 5 sons. She said her tallest one (6'4") didn't start his growth spurt or have any signs of puberty until 16. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 My uncle grew 3 inches after he married my aunt when he was 19. My 12 year old is 5 ft 8 and is in puberty. Depends on the child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Do genetics play a role? My ds started puberty at 11ish. I'd view that on the earlier side of normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassoonaroo Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 My ds' voice changed at nearly-12 and he got hairy legs that summer too. Some of his friends (nearly 14) haven't started the process. Varies widely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassy Posted September 20, 2012 Author Share Posted September 20, 2012 Thanks for all the responses, hopefully DS13 will be reassured when I report back :001_smile:. I seemed to remember boys starting puberty quite a bit later than girls, at around 14 or 15 or later, so I was quite surprised at the number of boys DS13 knows who've already gone through this. I never had any brothers, and wasn't interested enough in boys at that age to notice much. It seems that there's quite a wide range of normal. Maybe genetics does come into it, as Paula suggested. Maybe diet/lifestyle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassy Posted September 20, 2012 Author Share Posted September 20, 2012 I'm not sure what the signs are. LOL :lol: So you're in for some surprises (or nasty shocks) :D? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenC3 Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Well boys I knew at that age had definitely started puberty with voices, hair, etc. My brother had as well. But when I met dh's cousin who was 15 I thought he was 12. But by 18-19 he was a full grown man. Keeps the girls away longer;! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shannanlee Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 I have an almost 12 yr old boy. He has not started going deep into puberty yet. He has the mild acne and the smelly hormones under his arms. No voice change yet. I don't expect that to happen till around 13. My husband does not know when he went through the changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassy Posted September 20, 2012 Author Share Posted September 20, 2012 Well boys I knew at that age had definitely started puberty with voices, hair, etc. My brother had as well. But when I met dh's cousin who was 15 I thought he was 12. But by 18-19 he was a full grown man. Keeps the girls away longer;! :lol: Well there is that! I'm also quite happy for my little boy to stay a little boy for a while longer yet. It's just started to bother him quite a bit that most of the boys in his year are bigger and more developed than him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Boys and Girls both have wide ranges of normal. My son is 13, and in the past two years has gone from being in the 75-80th percentiles for height to the 45th. He also wears a size 10.5 shoe. He grew a whopping inch last year, and stands 5'0" tall. His voice has not changed yet, but according to his ped there are signs (he has a hair or two under his arms :lol:). His legs, poor soul, are extremely hairy. Thankfully, he's a blond. At first, our pediatrician was a little concerned, however puberty runs late on my side of the family. When that is added to how little "progress" was made from his 2011-2012 check-up, ped's concern evaporated. My son will, in all likelihood, shoot up furiously fast between 14-16 years of age. Either that, or my kids are suffering from some sort of growth-stunting disease no one has ever heard of that starts when about 25% of the population hits puberty. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 14 year old was about 13. Middle child, 12, is just showing signs of fuzz on his lip and his voice is changing. He will be 13 in Dec. It makes me sad. He was my sweet, cuddly boy who loved to sit on my lap and was fun loving. He is changing that too. He is still nice, but he has turned goofy and it isn't as funny as he thinks it is. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 I grew up with all women/girls so I have nothing to go by! ;) We bought the boys body book and I read it before we handed it to ds. I only have a sister. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 There are some really great books out there written for boys about puberty. I know my son really likes them. Well, not that he has said a word to me, but I know he has read them many times. :lol: I think it depends on how you look at puberty. At 12 my son's voice is getting deeper but hasn't truly changed. He is in a chorus and the director is very specific as to what 'changing' means. According to the director, it hasn't happened yet. I know he is growing body hair in adult places. I know he has a teensy bit of fuzz on his upper lip and some acne. But, he isn't getting tall. He is getting a hint of broader shoulders. He's still a boy, not yet a young man. When I see the young men in the Young Men's Chorus, I can see that my 12 year old is NOT like them. At 13 is your son is prob having some of the small changes associated with puberty. The books I got for my son say that smaller, thinner ectomorph type boys hit puberty later. My son is petite and I expect that will be the case for him. FWIW, I didn't hit puberty until almost 14 and then it happened all at once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 What is the average age for a boy to hit puberty? DS13 is showing no signs whatsoever so far, which, from my memories of boys when I was that age, is entirely normal. DS13 insists, however, that most boys in his year at school started to go through puberty a year or two ago. So a boy starting puberty at age 11? That doesn't seem quite 'normal' to me, but maybe I'm wrong. What are other people's experiences? My son is 13 and he is well on his way, if not 2/3 through. Deep voice, almost 6 feet tall, face changing (you know how they lose the boy look and take on the man look). It started in earnest at least a year ago. He grew an inch in July alone. So...since this is my only son, I don't really know. I do know my brothers continued to grow until they were about 18. Girls are maturing earlier as well, and it is not necessarily a good thing, given that earlier periods increase risk for breast cancer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linders Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 DS12 started a few months before 12. Hairy legs, faint mustached, acne....and moods!:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebrindam Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 My son is 12. His voice has already changed and he had a 7 inch growth spurt in the last 6 months. He also is getting hairy. eww. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elinor Everywhere Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 He is still nice, but he has turned goofy and it isn't as funny as he thinks it is. ;) Haha, this was my son at 13/14. Now at almost 15, he is not AS goofy, he's grown 6" in less than 6 months, shaving his peach fuzz lip (for ROTC), and the worst part, his voice is deepening. He's always had such a signature, high-pitched voice, that it's kind of sad and weird. The other day I thought my dh had the TV on, but it was my son talking. So strange!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 My son is 12 1/2. We've had signs for about a year, in both my observations and the doctor's :001_smile:. His voice has deepened, but not changed, some light acne, definitely hairier, shoulders broader, and this summer he has grown a ton. Thankfully, he's not stinky :D. I guess we'll keep him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassy Posted September 20, 2012 Author Share Posted September 20, 2012 There are some really great books out there written for boys about puberty. I know my son really likes them. Well, not that he has said a word to me, but I know he has read them many times. :lol: I think it depends on how you look at puberty. At 12 my son's voice is getting deeper but hasn't truly changed. He is in a chorus and the director is very specific as to what 'changing' means. According to the director, it hasn't happened yet. I know he is growing body hair in adult places. I know he has a teensy bit of fuzz on his upper lip and some acne. But, he isn't getting tall. He is getting a hint of broader shoulders. He's still a boy, not yet a young man. When I see the young men in the Young Men's Chorus, I can see that my 12 year old is NOT like them. At 13 is your son is prob having some of the small changes associated with puberty. The books I got for my son say that smaller, thinner ectomorph type boys hit puberty later. My son is petite and I expect that will be the case for him. FWIW, I didn't hit puberty until almost 14 and then it happened all at once. DS13's voice has not changed at all, nor does he have any noticeable hair. He is very much a thinner ectomorph build, and both DH and I are naturally quite slim. I started puberty at 13 yo and grew 6" in a year, so I expect once it happens it might, as you say, happen all at once. Just now he seems desperate to catch up physically with his peers - he seems to think it'll help him feel more confident, although for if I remember correctly puberty did nothing for my self-confidence at all, quite the opposite :tongue_smilie:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Do genetics play a role? My ds started puberty at 11ish. I'd view that on the earlier side of normal. My oldest was 11, the next one was 14. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosyl Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Haha, this was my son at 13/14. Now at almost 15, he is not AS goofy, he's grown 6" in less than 6 months, shaving his peach fuzz lip (for ROTC), and the worst part, his voice is deepening. He's always had such a signature, high-pitched voice, that it's kind of sad and weird. The other day I thought my dh had the TV on, but it was my son talking. So strange!:D Seriously, the goofy needs to go over here. It is good to know that it is a stage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Maybe diet/lifestyle? If you're wondering if hormone free diary plays a role in early puberty my ds has always had organic diary. He's 11 and has started getting hair under his arms and acne. I know about the underarm hair because he has proudly shown dh and me. :lol: My dh doesn't remember when he started puberty. Ds is skinny (he weighs 58lbs) and looks like more arms and legs so I guess this ectomorph is starting puberty earlier. I was shocked as I didn't expect it so soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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