Growth Spurt
At 92 pounds, nine year old Brian looks more like an eleven year old. His little sister Anna is off the charts at four feet seven. Anna is a seven year old the size of someone ten.
The current generation of kids is bigger and maturing on average two years earlier than a generation ago. Those like Brian and Anna who are ahead of the curve often look for acceptance among older kids.
“They just start saying a lot of curse words and cursed to each other and I usually just leave when that happens,” says Brian. Experts warn that as kids like Brian and Anna reach their teens what older friends teach could be much worse than words.
“They get involved in activities like sex and drugs and dating that they’re really not socially and emotionally ready for yet. They can be exploited because they are more vulnerable,” says Dr. Frank Batkins.
Parents can help by making sure they don’t fall into the trap of treating kids who are bigger as older than they are. Susan Taylor, Anna and Brian’s mom, says “It’s easy to forget that they are just kids. They are just seven and nine.”
What Parents Should Know
Kids weigh more than a generation ago. The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control reports that a ten year old today is about ten pounds heavier than a ten year old two decades ago.
While health officials are concerned about the increase in obesity in kids due to a lack of exercise and a high fat diet, they warn that a large kid is not necessarily a fat kid.
The new growth charts will include a body-mass index which is a measure of weight adjusted for height that researchers already use in adult to determine who is at risk for health problems.
Experts advise parents that large kids often mature at a faster rate of speed and carry extra weight before they finish growing. Often those kids will grow into their weight over a period time. It’s crucial that parents don’t over react and impose dieting without first talking with a physician.
Still, obesity is a concern. The new chart will not reflect the increase in weight for elementary age kids. Officials worried that included such an increase might lead parents to believe that some fat kids were really fit.
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“It’s easy to forget they are just kids. They are just seven and nine.” --Susan Taylor, Mom |
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The Measuring Stick The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control has announced its first ever revision in growth charts. The update is long overdue. The current chart was developed based on white, middle class, formula-fed babies. The new chart will covers newborns through twenty year olds and includes a comprehensive national sampling of minorities and differing ethnic origins. |
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Growing Up Too Fast Kids are maturing at a higher rate of speed. The average child matures a full two years earlier than kids a generation ago. The new growth chart will include a sexual maturity feature allowing doctors and parents to evaluate a child’s sexual maturity. Still, experts warn parents that early sexual development can put kids, particularly girls, at risk for unhealthy behaviors. Girls who develop early are more at risk for early sexual activity, drug use and alcohol use. Parents can help by providing and monitoring age appropriate activities and monitoring their own expectations of kids who look and sometimes act older than they are. |
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