Asking them to stop is just making him more of a target. Terrible idea for grades 2-12.

DS (3rd percentile for height) says his friends say stuff sometimes and he just brushes it off and they stop. When I hear them say things, I tell them to knock it off. He also started learning how to dive which I think is boosting his confidence because being smaller is a bonus there.

Tell him to ignore them and work on being smarter, a better athlete, charismatic, and a harder worker than them. Those are the characteristics that will set him above and apart from the pack. Height might come off initially as a positive attribute- but without the other characteristics mentioned, it is nothing.

Can he get into wrestling or indoor soccer?
Lots of short, confident guys in those sports

Best response is no response or just smiling and ignoring.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine used to say, "Being short is temporary but being an idiot is forever."

Except for many people being short is permanent. This response makes zero sense.

Adult-wise. Yeah it wouldn’t make sense.

But pretty sure tweens still have a long way to grow (see what I did there? So punny)

How short are we talking here, OP? In comparison to the friends?

Anywhere from an inch shorter to 6” and growing. DS himself is in the 30th percentile for height, but seems to have ended up with friends who all have really tall parents! Plus we already know DS will be a late bloomer so this won’t go away for a little bit.

Hmm, well. It’s kind of a cliché answer, but honestly if the other boys see that they get a rise from him/that it bothers him; it really just gives them a reason to keep teasing him. It sucks, but he’s gotta find a way to just let it roll of his back. He doesn’t need a witty comeback. I think the best thing is for him to just be like “yeah. I’m the shortest in our group haha okay.”

Or, and I mean this is really dependent on the type of friendship these boys have with eachother: he could just ask them to stop. Not in a hostile or forceful way, but in more a serious and somber tone like “it honestly really bothers me when you guys tease me for being shorter.” This latter option might work better if he says it one-on-one to the kid he’s closest with in the group. Or if it’s a big group then just mentioning it to a couple he’s closest to.

If the really crass boys who-no matter the appeal made to them they wouldn’t stop- see that enough of the group isn’t laughing then it wont be fun for them. When someone in a group gets “teased” (some might call it bullying because there’s a very thin line between the two, especially when it comes to teenage boy dynamics) there’s positive reinforcement to continue to do it and bring it up again and do it more later if the rest of the group finds it amusing and gets a laugh.

“Lost a couple of inches off my head cuz it got added to my third leg”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine used to say, "Being short is temporary but being an idiot is forever."

Except for many people being short is permanent. This response makes zero sense.

Adult-wise. Yeah it wouldn’t make sense.

But pretty sure tweens still have a long way to grow (see what I did there? So punny)

How short are we talking here, OP? In comparison to the friends?

Anywhere from an inch shorter to 6” and growing. DS himself is in the 30th percentile for height, but seems to have ended up with friends who all have really tall parents! Plus we already know DS will be a late bloomer so this won’t go away for a little bit.

I had/have 2 like this. They basically slugged it out when necessary but only when it was friends.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine used to say, "Being short is temporary but being an idiot is forever."

Except for many people being short is permanent. This response makes zero sense.

Adult-wise. Yeah it wouldn’t make sense.

But pretty sure tweens still have a long way to grow (see what I did there? So punny)

How short are we talking here, OP? In comparison to the friends?

Anonymous wrote:Don’t ask them to stop. The best way to get them to stop is to agree. “Yep, I’m short!” And then move on.

This. Or just "whatever!" with a massive eye roll.

Anonymous wrote:Mine used to say, "Being short is temporary but being an idiot is forever."

Except for many people being short is permanent. This response makes zero sense.

Don’t ask them to stop. The best way to get them to stop is to agree. “Yep, I’m short!” And then move on.

Mine used to say, "Being short is temporary but being an idiot is forever."

I guess related to the height thread…DS told me tonight several of his friends have recently been making fun of him daily for being shorter than they are. These are 10/11 year olds who are all over the place in terms of growth, but DS is on the smaller side. Anyone got good responses? Because so far asking them to stop has apparently done nothing.