# What's a good adult height for a man? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 5, 2017, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-adult-height-for-a-man/788144 "2017-06-05T00:27:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Salvor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Salvor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salvor)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2017, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-adult-height-for-a-man/788144/61 "2017-06-06T09:40:25Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I don’t understand. Are the doctors recommending halting his growth as a medical necessity? > > Reading this sentence makes me angry with you and your son, and makes me feel sympathy for a certain trans-phobic member of this board. None of us had the option of choosing to be taller in order to be more attractive to women, so he shouldn’t either, so I will refrain from commenting further. OP ignore this reaction. I am fully on board with any reasonable human enhancement medical science allows. If both you and the kid think being a bit taller would be more ideal, than have at it. I have what is considered a decent height, about 6 feet even, and in the gay world where I live height is not as big a deal as it’s not seen as some great deterrent or something that puts guys off, but for women? Phew, you all are cut throat. I have seen super good looking guys get turned down like they were the crypt keeper because they were shorter than their preferences. I think it’s something primal in women, so yes, if he is headed to being shorter than what you think ideal and wants to change that, so be it. I see nothing wrong with it. This idea that we ought to be bound by natures lottery is ridiculous. One of the PERKS of being a human being is that we can reshape nature to our whims. Become like Gods, to give all that up for some false sense of superiority for letting the chips fall where they may is not reasonable at all. Especially coming from people who rolled top scores in the dice of life. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2017, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-adult-height-for-a-man/788144/62 "2017-06-06T13:34:48Z")
I’m with you, Doctor Moreau— that’s why I’m buying my six-year-old niece the surgery she wants for her birthday. Those double-D knockers are gonna make her the star of her Brownie troop. ---
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2017, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-adult-height-for-a-man/788144/63 "2017-06-06T19:07:44Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > I’m with you, Doctor Moreau— that’s why I’m buying my six-year-old niece the surgery she wants for her birthday. Those double-D knockers are gonna make her the star of her Brownie troop. And with Cub Scouts as well. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-adult-height-for-a-man/788144/64 "2017-06-11T21:45:34Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > … We are, before we make a decision, going to have a hand x-ray done … Please do update us when you get the results. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-adult-height-for-a-man/788144/65 "2017-06-11T22:06:25Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Please do update us when you get the results. I will. We have to wait a while to get in for an appointment. We can’t get in ASAP for us, and we have a planned trip in early July, so it’s going to have to be after we get back. Obviously the doctor does not consider this urgent, so I am trying not to worry. As far as the other questions you asked about his development-- I don’t have any other ten year old boys to compare him to, but my husband says he’s “developing,” and so does the doctor. I’m a little in the dark as to exactly what they mean. Since we have a sit-down coming up after we get more information, I guess I’ll eventually have to ask. I know his body shape has changed dramatically. He used to be just a little chubby, and have some breast tissue that worried me a bit. That totally disappeared almost overnight, and in a couple of months his shoulders got very broad; literally, shirts we had bought him just three months earlier were too tight. He is slender now, and wears adult medium T-shirts. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-adult-height-for-a-man/788144/66 "2017-06-11T22:15:58Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > I will. We have to wait a while to get in for an appointment. … For an X-ray? Or for an endo appointment? If the latter getting the X-ray done ahead of time would be advisable. The x-ray should be easily scheduled or even just walk in with the order entered in the computer easy. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-adult-height-for-a-man/788144/67 "2017-06-11T22:26:44Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > For an X-ray? > > Or for an endo appointment? If the latter getting the X-ray done ahead of time would be advisable. The x-ray should be easily scheduled or even just walk in with the order entered in the computer easy. For everything. For the bloodwork to be done, for getting the x-ray read by the right person. If “endo” is “endocrinologist,” yes. I have a cousin who is a orthopedist. She doesn’t normally do stuff like this (she fixes broken bones, and treats children with CP and other issues), but she agreed to look at the x-rays as well. Also, this trip could be the last time our son sees my mother. Probably not. She has cancer, and has been doing very well, but had a minor setback. The prognosis is still good, but she is 77. We want him to enjoy the visit, and not talk about his medical issues and worry her. So we want to put off the sit-down until after the trip. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-adult-height-for-a-man/788144/68 "2017-06-12T00:05:06Z")
May your mother do well and enjoy the trip. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-adult-height-for-a-man/788144/69 "2017-06-12T00:12:03Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > May your mother do well and enjoy the trip. Thanks. That was more than I meant to share, but I saw that I was coming across as evasive, so what the heck. You’re a doctor. ---
**Author:** ![xEmerr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/e9a140/32.png) [@xEmerr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xEmerr)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-adult-height-for-a-man/788144/70 "2017-06-13T16:46:27Z")
I think interfering with your son’s natural growth isn’t the right move. I think you should let it be because yes, height does play a slightly important role in life, more so a man’s than a woman’s, but nearly everyone eventually gets to a point in their life where they are content with themselves. I know you want the best life possible for your son, but somethings you just have to let happen. I think he will turn out fine, and even if he doesn’t grow anymore, or grows freakishly tall, he’ll still be fine. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-adult-height-for-a-man/788144/71 "2017-06-14T01:09:43Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > His projected height of 6’7 was estimated when he was small, based on his early rate of growth, and his height at 30 months (which is supposed to be very reliable). > > We are, before we make a decision, going to have a hand x-ray done, because x-rays of his growth plates are the most reliable indicator of his adult height. (FWIW, he had x-rays when he broke his arm 2 years, and the doctor made an off-hand remark that he was going to be tall, but he’s not qualified to read the x-rays for that particular thing, I don’t think; maybe he is, but it wasn’t that kind of x-ray, anyway). As someone who has been through the x-rays, the mother who was neurotic about height, etc… I would like to remind you that all estimates about future height based on a child’s measurements are just guesses. I went through all that crap as a kid and I still came out 8 inches taller than expected. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-adult-height-for-a-man/788144/72 "2017-06-14T03:45:21Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > We are facing a situation where we may essentially be selecting our son’s height. > > Here’s what is going on. He is right now 10 years, and 8 months, and 5’2, which is over the 100th percentile for that age. His projected height is 6’7, although his father had an unusual growth pattern, and was always very tall as a child, but ended up being “only” 6’2. We are having the boychik tested with hand x-rays to get a better idea of his final adult height. It is far likelier he will end up being 6’2" than 6’7". Give VERY little credence to “projected from here” height estimates. Leave the boy’s development alone. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-adult-height-for-a-man/788144/73 "2017-06-14T04:14:28Z")
Replying to OP: About yea. Women: About yea. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-adult-height-for-a-man/788144/74 "2017-06-14T05:18:58Z")
> [@Barbarian](#): > > As someone who has been through the x-rays, the mother who was neurotic about height, etc… My uninformed WAG is that having a mother worrying so much about height is far more likely to be troubling to a kid than the actual height. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-adult-height-for-a-man/788144/75 "2017-06-14T14:37:00Z")
I have three sons who had three totally different growth curves, but they all ended up about the same height. My middle son was annoyed when his younger brother got taller than he was, but his only worry was that he’d, maybe, end up shorter than me. Once he was taller than his mother, he was happy. He got his last inch of height when he was 25. Projections from when they were young put my sons at three different heights, but they ended up exactly the same, they just stopped growing at different ages. Don’t bother worrying about final height. Just watch for symptoms that should be addressed. And you’re going to be doing that anyway. (Youngest son had a summer in junior high where he grew a full foot. The odd thing - his feet and nose grew first.) ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-adult-height-for-a-man/788144/76 "2017-06-14T14:52:54Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > My uninformed WAG is that having a mother worrying so much about height is far more likely to be troubling to a kid than the actual height. Agreed. I really don’t get all the fuss. I’m 5’7", I have a sister who is 5’8" and my brothers are 6’2" and 6’5". At most there’s some mild family teasing (I told my little brother he had to get so tall so people wouldn’t see that he was going bald, he calls my his little big brother etc). But overall it hasn’t changed our lives in any way more than our hair or eye color does. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-adult-height-for-a-man/788144/77 "2017-06-14T21:59:01Z")
I’d just like to make it clear that I didn’t bring any of this up. His doctor was the one who noticed that he looked like he was going into puberty early, and his earlier doctor was the one who estimated his height, without us asking. We never noticed he was unusually tall, because he’s an only child. I mean, we can see it now that he’s in public school, but we didn’t notice in preschool, because he was the youngest in his class. His earlier doctor only mentioned in because he was very thin as well as tall, and she said if he was going to end up being unusually tall, we’d better get used to the idea of watching that he ate enough. So we do things like buy whole milk for him, and skim for ourselves. Then his current doctor brought it up because he said he just thought we should be aware, and gave us a pamphlet on puberty. He was the one who mentioned that puberty could be postponed if we were concerned, so naturally, we asked if there were risks associated with early puberty. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2017, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-adult-height-for-a-man/788144/78 "2017-06-15T02:40:50Z")
I’m confused. Doesn’t precocious puberty usually lead to shorter than average height? ---
**Author:** ![Weedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/weedy/32/301_2.png) [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2017, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-adult-height-for-a-man/788144/79 "2017-06-15T12:14:27Z")
My brothers are both 6’6". It is little awkward for them being so tall. Sometimes it’s hard to find clothes, or fit into small cars and airline seats. Overall, they both quite like it however. The clothes thing is probably not as much of an issue in the US (my brothers order clothes from the US when they can’t find something locally). Personally, I wouldn’t involve my kid too much in the decision. I’d talk about it a bit to explain what is going on, and see what kind of concerns he has, but I think the parents should make the decision in conjunction with his doctor, taking his preferences into account. It’s really hard for a 12yr old to imagine what it might be like to be different heights, and you can’t really guarantee the result anyway, so I wouldn’t want to put him in the position of feeling he has to make a decision he doesn’t understand and can’t control. Whatever height he ends up with is probably fine anyway. It’s probably not a huge determiner of his life outcomes. I’d be careful about putting it into his head that he might be the ‘wrong’ height. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2017, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-adult-height-for-a-man/788144/80 "2017-06-15T12:50:47Z")
Being really tall can be a problem. Fitting into cars, bumping your head etc. I wouldn’t want to be over 6’ 4". The ideal for a man is between 5’ 10" to 6’ 1" It seems a bit odd picking your height. That used to be something nature did for you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-adult-height-for-a-man/788144.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-adult-height-for-a-man/788144.md?page=5)