My son is almost 8. He’s taller than many 10-year-olds. It has been like this since he was an infant. He was off the charts. I never found an adequate solution. At 2 he desperately wanted to play with 3 + 4s, but they were quite frankly dismissive of him. When they wouldn’t play with him, he would hit them. He was strong enough to hurt some of them. He got many timeouts at playgroups. Mixed age group settings like playgroups and the playground were kind of a nightmare until recently.
I was relieved when he started preschool, as he only played with friends who were his age even if the friends were tiny for their age. He never hit anyone in preschool as the teachers were super vigilant.
The summer he was 3 was a challenge, He was big for his age, and not potty trained fully. I had him in a swim diaper when we were at the pool. Because he looked about 5 I would explain to anyone in the baby pool why he was wearing a swim diaper. All were very understanding. By the end of the summer, I bought him a larger pair of swim shorts so that the swim diaper wasn’t as noticeable. I’m sure I overexplained…judging by the looks.
There is one huge plus for taller than average kids….amusement parks! My son never had a problem with height requirements for rides. He was able to ride Test Track and Soarin at Epcot when he was 3. Some 5-year-olds are not tall enough for these rides.
I have the opposite “problem”. My 2yo has always skimmed along at the bottom of the charts. Perfectly proportionate –just tiny! People would look surprised when I told them her age, expecting much younger. Oh well. Both kiddos are perfect just the way they are!
I hear you on the perfect however they are. My oldest started at 90 percentile at birth before rapidly plummeting to 20th. To me her growth didn’t slow down. She’s thin and petite. Always has been.
My six-year-old (girl) is the one who’s big for her age. She seems like the older kid, but Max is 8…and small. This has actually worked out well, because we are still picking him up a lot. And because he’s delayed, I actually don’t mind that he appears younger. Spares us a lot of questions!
Jill, I literally wanted to pick up the phone and call you today. Because after our discussion on Saturday, guess what? Today, I WON that year’s supply of Tide and a Bloomie’s gift card. And then, I got a tweet from @blissspa saying I was their 10,000th follower and I got myself a free manicure. This after I literally haven’t entered anything for months and months!
This is all because I rubbed your shoulder, of course.
Whoa!! Go you! Glad my luck rubbed off…although it sounds you are on a lucky streak yourself. The manicure sounds heavenly. Ditto the Bloomies gift card.
The “picking kid up thing” was funny for us…depending on the kid. My oldest — now 15 — is still only 96 pounds. I could lift her easily until she was 6…very handy for me as she would not stay in a timeout for any reason. My next child was too heavy to carry by 4. From 4 she weighed the same if not more than my oldest. My girls have worn the same size clothes for years.
I’ve never replied to a comment…I wonder if you will see this?