Has Your Adolescent Hit Their Growth Spirt?
It can take your breath away when your adolescent hits that one big growth spurt! One day, you are taller than them and it seems like just a day later, you are looking eye-to-eye.
What has happened? Inside your child’s bones are plates of cartilage called growth plates. When stimulated by hormones, the cartilage keeps making more bone.
As you look around, have you noticed the long-legged lanky appearance of kids as they become teenagers? It’s almost as if the rest of their body has not caught up to the growth in their arms and legs. They even appear more clumsy as they try to navigate with these long limbs.
It’s a good idea to prepare them for this change. Because growth spirts tend to come at different times for kids, some will grow tall earlier than others. This can make the later bloomers feel insecure until they hit their growth spurt. Learning a little about the biology helps them feel that when their genetics says it’s time, it’s time.
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