Why am I not growing?

Posted by sandcastle213 @sandcastle213, 3 days ago

I am 14 years old, a male, and in grade 8. I used to be one of the tallest, but now I am barely above average in my school. I am five foot nine, and 140 pounds. I have not grown in a year or maybe almost two years. My mom is five foot four and my dad five foot seven. My brother is five foot eleven so that gives me some hope. I used to be really tall for my age, and I want to be tall because I play soccer as a goalkeeper.

Will I grow? If yes, what is happening to me? What might my height be?

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Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | 23 hours ago

@sandcastle213 People grow and mature at their own pace. It is not at all unusual for guys to continue to grow until they are 19 or even 20 - my youngest brother grew 2" between the ages of 19 -21, and got to be 5'10" (tall for our family.) On the other hand, if you were female the answer would be very likely, yes. Girls usually stop growing taller in their early to mid-teens. I was 5'2" at age 12, taller than many of my male classmates - and I never grew another fraction of an inch.

I have a 9 year old grandson who is also worried, as he and his buddy are the shortest kids in 3rd grade. His Dad tells him not to worry - that he never really started to get taller until he was 12, and grew 2 more inches after he graduated high school - he is 5'8" now - but his brother is over 6'.

So for now, concentrate on good nutrition and plenty of rest to help you reach your full potential, and stay in good condition.