Posture and Expression

Perhaps if he saw pictures of himself? Take some candids of how he normally looks, and then get him to stand up straight and pleasant and snap some. Maybe he could see the difference this way. He is at a very awkward age but helping him see how attractive and pleasant good posture and expression is might help. Also, some confidence boosters couldnt hurt like taking a karate class or another area where he could excel. I often got comments on my excellent posture as a teenager because it was so uncommon I think. I was a confident teen who felt no need to hunch over to hide. For me walking in a room straight and tall was naturally an extension of how I approached life. He is young, and with love and plenty of affirmation he may straighten his spine on his own. Feeling your disapproval could be worsening the problem. Teens want acceptance and need tons of support during the difficult and awkward years.

When our son was about 12 years old, we started noticing he had poor posture. I kept telling him to stop slouching and stand up straight. He would correct his posture and only minutes later go back into a slouch. It progressed over the next few years, and then we decided to bring him in to get his back checked. He was diagnosed with hyperkyphosis and is currently under going chiropractic care and physical therapy. We, too, found he had a sour look on his face sometimes and it was due to his discomfort, though he didn’t realize it at the time. Not saying this is your sons case, but thought I would share. 

I have to agree with Csmamma. I have a friend that’s son had allergy problems. Somehow, this made his spine curve to look like he was slouching. He had to have his ribs broke and his spine straightened. This helped him straighten out. My mother on the other hand has scoliosis. She has had it as a child and it is getting worse as she ages. It didn’t hurt but it did give her a slouch that you can definately see now. If he hasn’t been tested for it by a phsician than maybe it is time to seek out some help. Sometimes, doctors overlook things that are not on the physical evaluation chart. just sayin’ 🙂

Bread, that was always the filler for us when we were kids, nice wholegrain bread….good luck todayLinda

We have been going to our chiropractor weekly for almost four years. Your ds’s posture may not be a health issue now, but if it continues it could cause health issues down the road. Poor posture contributes to spinal misalignments known as subluxations. These subluxations create nerve interference in the messages the brain sends down the spine and to the rest of the nerves in the body. You might see a good wellness chiropractor who can explain to your ds from a professional point of view the damage he could potentially cause in his body if his posture does not improve.

My late grandmother had a horrible hunchback. I really believe it was because she never sat up straight and she bent over a lot when she was cooking, reading, watching tv, etc. Maybe you could show your son some pictures of people with hunchbacks and let him decide for himself that he doesn’t want to look like that when he’s older. Not only is it unattractive, but those people are all in a lot of pain all the time too.

I agree with the others too. 12 is a hard age…I would never want to be 12 again! If he’s lacking confidence, perhaps your dh can help him with that.

Hope you get it figured out!

Lindsey

I can’t speak to the posture, but 4 eggs and a half pound of bacon for my husband at 12 (& till he was mid twenty) would have been considered a snack! And he was a healthy athletic boy. The casseroles his mom made to feed his family when they were growing are ridiculous! I quarter the recipes for our family of 5 but my kids are still young and thankfully for our grocery budget, girls!