When Can I Expect Puberity to kick in??

**StartingOver** · 07-14-2009, 10:45 AM

My ds will be turning 15 next month and has not hit puberity yet. All his friends are starting to grow facial hair and their voices have changed. He is so frustrated and embarrassed. He has gotten taller, he's about 5'9" and his feet!!!! Oh my goodness.

We were packing for camp and he went to get his tennis shoes, I asked him to try them on and he said "mom I can't get my foot in them." I looked inside and saw they were a 10 1/2....this can't be, we just bought these 5 months ago.

His foot is a size 13!!!!! His feet grew over 2 shoe sizes in 5 months!! Sure hope he grows taller to fit into those feet

I guess I'm looking for your personal experiences w/your boys and when they hit puberity and can you tell me what to expect.

All my friends have much younger children and are really no help.

Thanks so much!

**fernykins** · 07-14-2009, 10:58 AM

All 4 of my boys were between 13 and 15 years old when it hit them. He should be slowing down soon. Boys can keep growing until they are 25. My grandson who is 13 has a size 101/2 foot. His dad is a 10. He's almost 5'10''........Everybody is different.
Fern

**frugalwarrior** · 07-14-2009, 11:06 AM

Hes hit it. First height, the shoe size, chest width,acne all first run 13-15ish. Facial peach fuzz was 15,16 is shaving,no chest hair cause it doesn't run in our family but voice sounds gravelly but not too deep. Look to the relatives over all. My DS has been piling it away like a lumberjack again as of late at 16 1/2. He sleep until afternoon and wakes at night to feed like a vampire. Everyones different. Like the other poster said he has until 25.

**Neeley** · 07-14-2009, 11:08 AM

It sounds like it is getting ready to kick in. Here is how it has gone for our DS:

September 2007 to March 2008
Shoe size went from 9 to 12

November 2008 to June 2009
Grew 6 1/2 to 7 inches
Voice really got deeper
Although he has been shaving since he was 3 (due to premature hair growth) it was only about once a month - now he has to about once a week.
Hair has filled in the private areas

DS will be 14 the first week of August. He hit puberty a little earlier than his peers. He is around 5 foot 7 inches & 240 lbs - sounds like a lot but he lifts weights everyday at the gym(and home) & does a cardio workout. His pediatrician says to look at him, you would never know he is 240 because he has so much solid muscle mass.

Has he begun to get a little moody? Right when DS was starting to hit puberty, he had a slight change in his level of moodiness. He by no means was rude or unruly. We could just see a little change in his tone and his level of cooperativeness at times. It was like he was trying to assert his independence. But nothing in comparison to the moodiness DD went through when puberty hit her - LOL.

He has always been concerned with his look, body, fitness, etc..But once puberty hit and he could really see his body change into a more adult look, he became a total gym rat. He would stay with his trainer for three to four hours a day. Now he is all about his body and his performance in sports.

**StartingOver** · 07-14-2009, 11:21 AM

Originally Posted by Neeley

Has he begun to get a little moody? Right when DS was starting to hit puberty, he had a slight change in his level of moodiness. He by no means was rude or unruly. We could just see a little change in his tone and his level of cooperativeness at times.

Now that I think of if...there has been a slight shift in his mood. He is a very laid back, easy going kid. That I guess I never made the connection.

He just seems to be running so far behind his peers. He's actually the older one in his class. He almost a full year older than his friends. The question I ask myself is...how long do I wait before I take him to a doctor to see if there is something else wrong?

I've never been one to rush my kids to the doctor...they, fortunately, are very healthy and have only been seen for physicals, shots etc....so I guess I freak out when I see things are not going according to "what the books say."

Thanks again for all your responses.

**Neeley** · 07-14-2009, 11:40 AM

Originally Posted by StartingOver

The question I ask myself is...how long do I wait before I take him to a doctor to see if there is something else wrong?

DS has a couple of friends who are already 15 and have not hit puberty. One friend is 4 foot 10 inches - the same height he has been for at least two years and shows no signs of puberty whatsoever. He has another friend who turned 16 yesterday and he is no where near puberty. To look at him you would think he was 13 maybe 14.

Try not to worry. It sounds like he is getting there. Every person is different.

**MomToTwoBoys** · 07-14-2009, 01:16 PM

My oldest started hitting puberty at age 8. It really depends on a variety of things, but with his puberty the doctors told me it was due to his hyperthyroidism. He has leg hair, arm hair, etc. He's having a lot more of an attitude change ever since then and he'll be 11 next month. He's always been tall because he was almost 2 feet long when he was born. His appetite also changed drastically and he wants to eat every hour and a half just about.

**calimomx2** · 07-14-2009, 01:43 PM

My ds is 15 and we noticed changes starting around 13, mostly his voice! Sometimes I have to look at him when he talks because his voice is so deep and grown up now and I'm use to his little boy voice!

He is 5'11 and wears size 12 shoes....although that changes every other month! He is shaving now although he doesn't need to very often. He is still growing too and eating like there will be no tomorrow!!

**Debbie-cat** · 07-14-2009, 01:45 PM

My son didn't start getting facial hair until he was 18. His voice changed so slowly, I didn't even notice it changing..around 16years old. Tell him he should be happy he doesn't have to shave yet because he is going to have to do it for the rest of his life!!!

Seriously, every boy is different. Some of my son's friends had beards in grade 9! Flipped me right out!!

**JenMarie** · 07-14-2009, 01:58 PM

My son is only ten... he's started needing to wear deodorant and eating more, but nothing else... this was a conversation between him and his friend in the backseat of my car a few weeks ago.

Friend- I got hair in my armpits. It itches...I've hit puberty
DS- I've already hit puberty
Friend- Oh yeah? Where are you growing hair at?
DS- WHAT??
Friend- You got hairy feet?

:-)

**valerian** · 07-18-2009, 07:26 PM

My middle ds is 11 (will be 12 in Nov.) and weighs about 60 pounds. He has just started needing deodorant. He says most of the boys in his class don't have any armpit hair yet. Only one boy does. They talk about it and make jokes among themselves. My oldest hit puberty around 13 years of age I believe. It's hard to remember four years ago...lol!

**frugalfranny** · 07-18-2009, 07:36 PM

Such fun to read...........whew.......and feeding them!

Good luck with ALL OF THEM!!!

I did have to laugh while reading though....I went back and asked my sister a few years ago that 'if' someone said she had to have another child....(she had one of each) what would she pick? Without hesitation she said "a boy".........due to the hormone issue during maturation with girls.

**zakity** · 07-19-2009, 12:38 AM

Every child is different. That said...

My 13 year old is 5'8" and weights 110 lbs. The flippin kid eats like a horse and every time he gains a bit, he grows another 5 inches. He started hitting puberty at 10 and it has been a really rough couple of years. His voice is changed and he is, um, developed, um, in places. People think that he is older than he is because he looks so much older. He just needs to fill out a little to look even older.

**cab54** · 07-19-2009, 12:38 PM

My two were as different (from each other!) as night and day.

My older one is like his dad was.........when he was 12-1/2(!!) he had some body hair, and started to get a mustache and chin 'scruff'. He was a size 12 foot about then (a 13-1/2 now) and was already 6'1" (his height now at 25). He looked like a man at 16.

But.....My younger son was like a big 'little boy'. He was about 16 before his voice, body hair and SOME facial hair came, but not much. He was about 6'1" at 13, but looked very young---baby faced. Hardly any body hair and almost no facial.

He didn't REALLY start to grow and mature till college! Every time he came home, he was taller and FINALLY had enough 'scruff' to look manly at about 20. He grew to 6'6" and started to finally get those chiseled facial features that look like a man, and his feet are now 15's. He was about 21 before he came home and I thought--he looks manly.