height issues

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes kids end up shorter than both parents
I am 5’6” DH 5’7”
19 yo DD 1 is 5’8” finished growing by 15
16 yo DD 2 is 5’3” her final height, got her period 2 years ago and hasn’t grown in the past 9 months, it never occurred to us to consider medical interventions.

Because 5'3 is a perfectly reasonable height for a girl. Your DH Is short, it makes sense that one of your kids would be short..

Exactly my point, OP is 5’3” so it is reasonable that her son is 5’3” or even shorter

dp.. if the mom is 5'3", I would think the son would be at least taller than 5'3". Short moms tend to have shorter sons, however, they tend to at least be taller than the mom by several inches.

I wonder if OP's DS has celiac issues.

If the parents are both short, the son would be expected to be shorter than the father, and probably a bit taller than the mother.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why you took him to the doctor in the first place. A 5’3” height is perfectly within normal for a 14 yr old with two slightly shorter than average parents. What’s the problem? No, I don’t think your son is completely done growing, no what endocrinologist projects. He will very likely be somewhere 5’7”-5’9”

- because he could end up really short as an adult, which will be catastrophic for his dating prospects in the US, that's why. Everybody knows that.

Except it’s not. My dentist is probably 5’5” he is also super charming, funny, and very handsome. He has a gorgeous wife, kids, huge house, country club, etc. He’s living a great life. As is a good friend from college, probably 5’7”, Naval aviator, handsome, no problems dating when I knew him and married well. Every shorter man in my social circle I can think of has done extremely well, including finding an attractive mate. Height is just one thing that initially can be attractive. But that’s about it

5'5" and 5'7" are very than 5'3" which is already considered short for a woman, much less a man. I agree that height is just one thing and it is what it is but 5'3" is short for a man.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why you took him to the doctor in the first place. A 5’3” height is perfectly within normal for a 14 yr old with two slightly shorter than average parents. What’s the problem? No, I don’t think your son is completely done growing, no what endocrinologist projects. He will very likely be somewhere 5’7”-5’9”

- because he could end up really short as an adult, which will be catastrophic for his dating prospects in the US, that's why. Everybody knows that.

Except it’s not. My dentist is probably 5’5” he is also super charming, funny, and very handsome. He has a gorgeous wife, kids, huge house, country club, etc. He’s living a great life. As is a good friend from college, probably 5’7”, Naval aviator, handsome, no problems dating when I knew him and married well. Every shorter man in my social circle I can think of has done extremely well, including finding an attractive mate. Height is just one thing that initially can be attractive. But that’s about it

Sometimes money makes up for lack of height.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry OP. I think the answer is it is hard to tell and maybe your son will grow, but it's likely "too late" for growth hormones in any event.

My DS was on growth hormones because he had a deficiency and stopped growing around age 10 and the hormones really worked for him, before he went into puberty. I'm not sure if there is anything else that can be done but I would also get a second opinion.

But the real reason I'm replying is that my DH is 5'3 and lives a good life - he has friends, a wife and kids (both of whom are short) and a good job, he plays sports and is happy. I know it's hard when you are 14, (as it was on him) but there are a lot of short guys living good lives.

Thank you for this. When my son received a similar diagnosis to OP’s son, it really helped to read anecdotes of successful short men. It also helped to read studies that show little difference in quality of life between average and short men. Some studies do show worse outcomes, but not all. I think it is hard for some posters to show empathy for the OP and her son, which is disappointing. It is hard to see your kids struggling, even over something that may not be a big deal to others (but I bet many posters who think this is no big deal would feel differently if it happened to them or their kid.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why you took him to the doctor in the first place. A 5’3” height is perfectly within normal for a 14 yr old with two slightly shorter than average parents. What’s the problem? No, I don’t think your son is completely done growing, no what endocrinologist projects. He will very likely be somewhere 5’7”-5’9”

- because he could end up really short as an adult, which will be catastrophic for his dating prospects in the US, that's why. Everybody knows that.

Except it’s not. My dentist is probably 5’5” he is also super charming, funny, and very handsome. He has a gorgeous wife, kids, huge house, country club, etc. He’s living a great life. As is a good friend from college, probably 5’7”, Naval aviator, handsome, no problems dating when I knew him and married well. Every shorter man in my social circle I can think of has done extremely well, including finding an attractive mate. Height is just one thing that initially can be attractive. But that’s about it

Sometimes money makes up for lack of height.

Nearly always it does

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone mention ethnicity? Asian men are genetically short. The average height is 5’5” for many Asian countries. Specifically India is 5’6”.

I don't think stating average height in other countries is helpful...presumably OP's son has been raised in the US with some semblance of an American diet.

Genetics, not diet. Japanese people are also genetically shorter.

I don't think genetics exist in a vacuum without other factors at play. Diet, environmental factors, etc impact height. That's why I don't think looking at the average height of a man in another country is really all that relevant.

It’s both

Japan has some of the best nutritionally healthy food in the world.

If sugar makes people taller Americans would be 7 feet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry OP. I think the answer is it is hard to tell and maybe your son will grow, but it's likely "too late" for growth hormones in any event.

My DS was on growth hormones because he had a deficiency and stopped growing around age 10 and the hormones really worked for him, before he went into puberty. I'm not sure if there is anything else that can be done but I would also get a second opinion.

But the real reason I'm replying is that my DH is 5'3 and lives a good life - he has friends, a wife and kids (both of whom are short) and a good job, he plays sports and is happy. I know it's hard when you are 14, (as it was on him) but there are a lot of short guys living good lives.

Thank you for this. When my son received a similar diagnosis to OP’s son, it really helped to read anecdotes of successful short men. It also helped to read studies that show little difference in quality of life between average and short men. Some studies do show worse outcomes, but not all. I think it is hard for some posters to show empathy for the OP and her son, which is disappointing. It is hard to see your kids struggling, even over something that may not be a big deal to others (but I bet many posters who think this is no big deal would feel differently if it happened to them or their kid.)

I’m not the PP that is concerned about sending the message that his height is a problem. But I have a kid with another viable difference that can not be “fixed” and indeed, it does matter. I made a decision to forgive lots of doctors or experimental treatments and embrace my kids uniqueness. Don’t mistake the concern about messaging as lack of empathy. I know it’s hard to watch your kid struggle, but still. . . The message should be. . . You are wonderful as you are. We’re going to check with the doc to make sure your body is working as it should, but we know will be a kind, successful young man no matter what height you end up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is important to not convey your disappointment to him. He cannot feel like you and your husband view his height as a problem.

This. But something tells me that horse has already left the barn.

Some of you are being very weird and unreasonable. The boy is 14, he’s not a toddler. He is perfectly aware of his height and most likely (if he is a typical American boy) is unhappy about it. I would bet that he is not taking his cues on how to feel from mom and dad. Instead what he is seeing from them is a willingness to help him in any way they can.

[Anonymous]

A lot of DC's friends stopped growing around 14. I'd say about half to be honest. Obviously I wasn't tracking their height exactly but they pretty much didn't grow more than an inch after that. Most of them seemed to have their growth spurts between 12-14.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If short women are so concerned about their child's height why didn't they marry taller? What did you think was going to happen marrying a short man?

New poster here. F@ck off, PP. I am average height and my spouse is 6’3” but our dd hit puberty early and her predicted height was not even 5’2”. We ended up going to a pediatric endocrinologist overseas after two opinions from specialists in the dmv. The first one at children’s in dc was horrible in terms of apathy. The second one was better as the full medical history identified need to test child for certain auto immune conditions and it identified she had celiac. This could definitely contribute to shorter stature as it caused temporary alopecia which was significant but hidden under her long hair (thankfully) and reversed after removing all gluten from her diet. We have been able to get her treated with American medication at a fraction of the cost and our pediatrician here supported us going that route. She’s grown about 1.5 inches past her predicted height and fortunately her growth plates have not closed completely although it’s been past two years since she started menstruating. They run full bloodwork as well every time.

Since when is being a 5’2” woman a medical problem? Sounds like you put your vanity first by spending tens of thousands of money on endocrinologists when she should have been seeing a gastroenterologist. If celiac disease delayed her growth it must have been severe and she must have had stomach issues.

Disturbing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes kids end up shorter than both parents
I am 5’6” DH 5’7”
19 yo DD 1 is 5’8” finished growing by 15
16 yo DD 2 is 5’3” her final height, got her period 2 years ago and hasn’t grown in the past 9 months, it never occurred to us to consider medical interventions.

Because 5'3 is a perfectly reasonable height for a girl. Your DH Is short, it makes sense that one of your kids would be short..

Exactly my point, OP is 5’3” so it is reasonable that her son is 5’3” or even shorter

no, the boy would be taller than 5'3". Boys are normally taller than their mothers, even if the mother is short.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone mention ethnicity? Asian men are genetically short. The average height is 5’5” for many Asian countries. Specifically India is 5’6”.

I don't think stating average height in other countries is helpful...presumably OP's son has been raised in the US with some semblance of an American diet.

Genetics, not diet. Japanese people are also genetically shorter.

I don't think genetics exist in a vacuum without other factors at play. Diet, environmental factors, etc impact height. That's why I don't think looking at the average height of a man in another country is really all that relevant.

+1 even within each race, people are taller now than they were 100 years ago because of diet and other environmental factors.

Celiac disease or other environmental factors can make one shorter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone mention ethnicity? Asian men are genetically short. The average height is 5’5” for many Asian countries. Specifically India is 5’6”.

I don't think stating average height in other countries is helpful...presumably OP's son has been raised in the US with some semblance of an American diet.

Genetics, not diet. Japanese people are also genetically shorter.

I don't think genetics exist in a vacuum without other factors at play. Diet, environmental factors, etc impact height. That's why I don't think looking at the average height of a man in another country is really all that relevant.

+1 even within each race, people are taller now than they were 100 years ago because of diet and other environmental factors.

Celiac disease or other environmental factors can make one shorter.

to add...

A perfect example of two groups of the same ethnicity that have different average heights is Koreans. North Koreans are shorter than South Koreans because they lack the nutrition that South Koreans have.

[Anonymous]

What size are his feet? Typically there is correlation with height. When’s the last time his feet grew? My endo told me that feet grow first and then the body catches up. My son’s growth spurt happened two years after his feet growth spurt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone mention ethnicity? Asian men are genetically short. The average height is 5’5” for many Asian countries. Specifically India is 5’6”.

I don't think stating average height in other countries is helpful...presumably OP's son has been raised in the US with some semblance of an American diet.

Genetics, not diet. Japanese people are also genetically shorter.

I don't think genetics exist in a vacuum without other factors at play. Diet, environmental factors, etc impact height. That's why I don't think looking at the average height of a man in another country is really all that relevant.

+1 even within each race, people are taller now than they were 100 years ago because of diet and other environmental factors.

Celiac disease or other environmental factors can make one shorter.

to add...

A perfect example of two groups of the same ethnicity that have different average heights is Koreans. North Koreans are shorter than South Koreans because they lack the nutrition that South Koreans have.

North Korea is extreme in their lack of food and everything else that makes life worth living.


Genetics matter in African tribes who segregate The Dinka tribe in South Sudan has an average height of over 6 feet tall. More than a few are 7 feet tall men. Women are close in height. The citizens in the Republic of Sudan have an average height of 5.5”

Sudan people have had civil wars and genocides for decades. South Sudan is now independent. That’s a huge height difference for all of the Sudanese people even though they have had the same problems.

America is not a tall country.