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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]One of my kids is really short.  7th percentile for height.  I’ve taken him for medical testing and there’s no hormonal problem, so he doesn’t qualify for growth hormone.  I’ve focused on dietary supplements, but he’s a terrible eater.  My other three kids are average height with one being very tall.  I am short myself, but I always thought the “short genes” only ran with the women in our family since the men are all over 5’9” and my dad is 6’2”.  My husband is 6’0”.

My son who is short is only 7 years old.  But, at this point, with no medical problem and with his growth remaining around the 10th percentile for four years, I’m coming to realize I need to accept the fact that he’s just really small.  If he stays at this percentile, the doctor predicts he will be 5’6”.  It makes me feel really sad and anxious when I see him with the other boys his age and he’s a lot smaller than them. He’s also not really athletic.

He’s very smart, adorable, funny, kind.  He’s an incredible kid and I feel like a total jerk for not being able to accept the blessing of a healthy child and instead feeling so upset inside about his height.  There are a lot of societal stereotypes about short people and dating is hard for short men. I’m worried about teasing and him being made fun of, even as an older man.

Can someone please provide me with any helpful thoughts or wisdom to work my way through this? I hate feeling this way and just want to give him the love he deserves.[/quote]

It really is a drawback, but smart/adorable/funny/kind help ameliorate it, and have a great deal of long term value. Better short with those good qualities, than tall, but dumb/hateful/boring/mean. My one suggestion is that you continue to push the athletic side - he might not be great at baseball/basketball/etc, but being at least marginally competent will improve his social life markedly, at least through high school.[/quote]

The short kid who grows up to make a seven figure salary will fare better than the short kid who was the high school varsity baseball star.  Push academics, not athletics (to the extreme)[/quote]

Well, sure, but PP here - I'm male, short, making a pretty good salary, and my parents let me opt out of sports. My childhood would've probably been a great deal more pleasant if they hadn't. Hence my lines about "minimal competency", not "devote eight hours a day into making him a star athlete".[/quote]

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