OT: Boys, height and high school

[WhansaMi]

Okay, here's the deal. DS is 14 years old. He's always been small (5th
percentile for height throughout most of his life, although, I remember one
point where he was on the 20th percentile line on the graph). He's a good kid,
bright, polite, good sense of humor, but not at all athletic. At middle school
he was thought very highly of by his teachers, and had a group of about 6 or 7
boys that he hung out with, had lunch with, etc. They, like him, tended toward
the computer-geek-type (gamers), although, according to his teachers, he was
liked by most of the other kids. I saw this myself as we would walk to and
from the school... other kids made it a point to say hi to him. He is a bit
shy, but really does get his energy by being with others. I tease him that he
is a contradiction --- a shy extrovert!

So, next year he goes to high school. He is very anxious about it, and more
than one comment makes me think that his height is part of it. For instance, I
said something today about our littlest dog thinking, "It's hard to be a little
dog" and DS says, "Tell me about it. You don't have to tell me about the "l"
word!" He's made jokes that someone might actually put him in a locker. He
is, of course, also anxious that he might not have any classes with his
friends.

Can I help? Being small can be a bonus for girls, but I'm sure it is a
liability for boys. As his dad tells it, he was the shortest, skinniest kid in
school until he was sixteen, when he "shot up" (all the way to 5'9"! ;-)).
Any suggestions anyone can make about how to help him?

Sheila

[Ignoramus11472]

I think that it would be beneficial if he enjoyed at least some
aspects of his physique. So, maybe get him to become a strong young
person, by lifting weights for example. If he can become interested,
that would be excellent, and also good for his health. Just a thought.

i

[Ignoramus11472]

I think that it would be beneficial if he enjoyed at least some
aspects of his physique. So, maybe get him to become a strong young
person, by lifting weights for example. If he can become interested,
that would be excellent, and also good for his health. Just a thought.

i

[WhansaMi]

>I think that it would be beneficial if he enjoyed at least some

aspects of his physique. So, maybe get him to become a strong youngperson, by lifting weights for example. If he can become interested,that would be excellent, and also good for his health. Just a thought.i

His dad drags him to the gym periodically. He hates it, but does it to please
his dad.

Now, what he does like to do is fencing. He's even discovered a plus side of
his height -- you are harder to hit! ;-)

Sheila

[WhansaMi]

>I think that it would be beneficial if he enjoyed at least some

aspects of his physique. So, maybe get him to become a strong youngperson, by lifting weights for example. If he can become interested,that would be excellent, and also good for his health. Just a thought.i

His dad drags him to the gym periodically. He hates it, but does it to please
his dad.

Now, what he does like to do is fencing. He's even discovered a plus side of
his height -- you are harder to hit! ;-)

Sheila

[Archmedes]

"WhansaMi" <whansami@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20040804192941.11031.00002772@mb-m02.aol.com...

Okay, here's the deal. DS is 14 years old. He's always been small (5th percentile for height throughout most of his life, although, I remember

one

point where he was on the 20th percentile line on the graph). He's a good

kid,

bright, polite, good sense of humor, but not at all athletic. At middle

school

he was thought very highly of by his teachers, and had a group of about 6

or 7

boys that he hung out with, had lunch with, etc. They, like him, tended

toward

the computer-geek-type (gamers), although, according to his teachers, he

was

liked by most of the other kids. I saw this myself as we would walk to

and

from the school... other kids made it a point to say hi to him. He is a

bit

shy, but really does get his energy by being with others. I tease him

that he

is a contradiction --- a shy extrovert! So, next year he goes to high school. He is very anxious about it, and

more

than one comment makes me think that his height is part of it. For

instance, I

said something today about our littlest dog thinking, "It's hard to be a

little

dog" and DS says, "Tell me about it. You don't have to tell me about the

"l"

word!" He's made jokes that someone might actually put him in a locker.

He

is, of course, also anxious that he might not have any classes with his friends. Can I help? Being small can be a bonus for girls, but I'm sure it is a liability for boys. As his dad tells it, he was the shortest, skinniest

kid in

school until he was sixteen, when he "shot up" (all the way to 5'9"!

;-)).

Any suggestions anyone can make about how to help him? Sheila

How tall is he? truly noticeably shorter than most of the other kids in his
class?
I also have a 14-yr-old (well, he'll be 15 next month) . He happens to be 6
feet tall though. I don't think he and his friends segregate each other
according to height. Among the kids in his grade, there is a *huge*
variation in height, weight , etc. If you're cool, you're cool.
I'd not mention it or make an issue about his height. There isn't really
much you can do about it anyway.

[Archmedes]

"WhansaMi" <whansami@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20040804192941.11031.00002772@mb-m02.aol.com...

Okay, here's the deal. DS is 14 years old. He's always been small (5th percentile for height throughout most of his life, although, I remember

one

point where he was on the 20th percentile line on the graph). He's a good

kid,

bright, polite, good sense of humor, but not at all athletic. At middle

school

he was thought very highly of by his teachers, and had a group of about 6

or 7

boys that he hung out with, had lunch with, etc. They, like him, tended

toward

the computer-geek-type (gamers), although, according to his teachers, he

was

liked by most of the other kids. I saw this myself as we would walk to

and

from the school... other kids made it a point to say hi to him. He is a

bit

shy, but really does get his energy by being with others. I tease him

that he

is a contradiction --- a shy extrovert! So, next year he goes to high school. He is very anxious about it, and

more

than one comment makes me think that his height is part of it. For

instance, I

said something today about our littlest dog thinking, "It's hard to be a

little

dog" and DS says, "Tell me about it. You don't have to tell me about the

"l"

word!" He's made jokes that someone might actually put him in a locker.

He

is, of course, also anxious that he might not have any classes with his friends. Can I help? Being small can be a bonus for girls, but I'm sure it is a liability for boys. As his dad tells it, he was the shortest, skinniest

kid in

school until he was sixteen, when he "shot up" (all the way to 5'9"!

;-)).

Any suggestions anyone can make about how to help him? Sheila

How tall is he? truly noticeably shorter than most of the other kids in his
class?
I also have a 14-yr-old (well, he'll be 15 next month) . He happens to be 6
feet tall though. I don't think he and his friends segregate each other
according to height. Among the kids in his grade, there is a *huge*
variation in height, weight , etc. If you're cool, you're cool.
I'd not mention it or make an issue about his height. There isn't really
much you can do about it anyway.

[WhansaMi]

>> Okay, here's the deal. DS is 14 years old. He's always been small (5th

percentile for height throughout most of his life, although, I rememberone

kid,

school

or 7

toward

was

and

bit

that he

more

instance, I

little

"l"

He

kid in

;-)).

How tall is he? truly noticeably shorter than most of the other kids in hisclass?I also have a 14-yr-old (well, he'll be 15 next month) . He happens to be 6feet tall though. I don't think he and his friends segregate each otheraccording to height. Among the kids in his grade, there is a *huge*variation in height, weight , etc. If you're cool, you're cool.I'd not mention it or make an issue about his height. There isn't reallymuch you can do about it anyway.

He's about 5 feet, I think. There are probably only 5 or 6 kids in his grade
that were shorter than him. We seem to grow 'em big in our neighborhood! I'm
5'4 and a half, and almost all of them were much taller than me!

I don't think the issue is as much the other kids, at least the ones he know,
as his view of himself.

Sheila

[WhansaMi]

>> Okay, here's the deal. DS is 14 years old. He's always been small (5th

percentile for height throughout most of his life, although, I rememberone

kid,

school

or 7

toward

was

and

bit

that he

more

instance, I

little

"l"

He

kid in

;-)).

How tall is he? truly noticeably shorter than most of the other kids in hisclass?I also have a 14-yr-old (well, he'll be 15 next month) . He happens to be 6feet tall though. I don't think he and his friends segregate each otheraccording to height. Among the kids in his grade, there is a *huge*variation in height, weight , etc. If you're cool, you're cool.I'd not mention it or make an issue about his height. There isn't reallymuch you can do about it anyway.

He's about 5 feet, I think. There are probably only 5 or 6 kids in his grade
that were shorter than him. We seem to grow 'em big in our neighborhood! I'm
5'4 and a half, and almost all of them were much taller than me!

I don't think the issue is as much the other kids, at least the ones he know,
as his view of himself.

Sheila

[JWB]

"WhansaMi" <whansami@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20040804193915.11031.00002776@mb-m02.aol.com...

I think that it would be beneficial if he enjoyed at least someaspects of his physique. So, maybe get him to become a strong youngperson, by lifting weights for example. If he can become interested,that would be excellent, and also good for his health. Just a thought.i His dad drags him to the gym periodically. He hates it, but does it to

please

his dad. Now, what he does like to do is fencing. He's even discovered a plus side

of

his height -- you are harder to hit! ;-)

Martial arts, perhaps? Very good confidence builder.

[JWB]

"WhansaMi" <whansami@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20040804193915.11031.00002776@mb-m02.aol.com...

I think that it would be beneficial if he enjoyed at least someaspects of his physique. So, maybe get him to become a strong youngperson, by lifting weights for example. If he can become interested,that would be excellent, and also good for his health. Just a thought.i His dad drags him to the gym periodically. He hates it, but does it to

please

his dad. Now, what he does like to do is fencing. He's even discovered a plus side

of

his height -- you are harder to hit! ;-)

Martial arts, perhaps? Very good confidence builder.

[Ignoramus11472]

In article <20040804193915.11031.00002776@mb-m02.aol.com>, WhansaMi wrote:

I think that it would be beneficial if he enjoyed at least someaspects of his physique. So, maybe get him to become a strong youngperson, by lifting weights for example. If he can become interested,that would be excellent, and also good for his health. Just a thought.i His dad drags him to the gym periodically. He hates it, but does it to please his dad. Now, what he does like to do is fencing. He's even discovered a plus side of his height -- you are harder to hit! ;-) Sheila

Well, that's great if he likes it!

i

[Ignoramus11472]

In article <20040804193915.11031.00002776@mb-m02.aol.com>, WhansaMi wrote:

I think that it would be beneficial if he enjoyed at least someaspects of his physique. So, maybe get him to become a strong youngperson, by lifting weights for example. If he can become interested,that would be excellent, and also good for his health. Just a thought.i His dad drags him to the gym periodically. He hates it, but does it to please his dad. Now, what he does like to do is fencing. He's even discovered a plus side of his height -- you are harder to hit! ;-) Sheila

Well, that's great if he likes it!

i

[Joy]

"Ignoramus11472" <ignoramus11472@NOSPAM.11472.invalid> wrote in message
news:ces1rv$uj7$1@pita.alt.net...

In article <20040804193915.11031.00002776@mb-m02.aol.com>, WhansaMi wrote:

please

his dad. Now, what he does like to do is fencing. He's even discovered a plus

side of

his height -- you are harder to hit! ;-) Sheila Well, that's great if he likes it!

Is wrestling an option? He'd be competing in his own weight class, so his
size might be less a disadvantage. Maybe he'd enjoy it.

[Joy]

"Ignoramus11472" <ignoramus11472@NOSPAM.11472.invalid> wrote in message
news:ces1rv$uj7$1@pita.alt.net...

In article <20040804193915.11031.00002776@mb-m02.aol.com>, WhansaMi wrote:

please

his dad. Now, what he does like to do is fencing. He's even discovered a plus

side of

his height -- you are harder to hit! ;-) Sheila Well, that's great if he likes it!

Is wrestling an option? He'd be competing in his own weight class, so his
size might be less a disadvantage. Maybe he'd enjoy it.

[Jennifer]

"WhansaMi" <whansami@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20040804192941.11031.00002772@mb-m02.aol.com...

Okay, here's the deal. DS is 14 years old. He's always been small (5th percentile for height throughout most of his life, although, I remember

one

point where he was on the 20th percentile line on the graph). He's a good

kid,

bright, polite, good sense of humor, but not at all athletic. At middle

school

he was thought very highly of by his teachers, and had a group of about 6

or 7

boys that he hung out with, had lunch with, etc. They, like him, tended

toward

the computer-geek-type (gamers), although, according to his teachers, he

was

liked by most of the other kids. I saw this myself as we would walk to

and

from the school... other kids made it a point to say hi to him. He is a

bit

shy, but really does get his energy by being with others. I tease him

that he

is a contradiction --- a shy extrovert!

Sheila, your son is incredibly similar to my nephew, who turns 16 next
month. He has also always been at 5th% or less, he's a skinny guy, and very
short. His older brother was short for a while but did get a growth spurt,
but DN (dear nephew) never has. He's likely to be very short as an adult.
He's also bright, polite, a total gamer, big into reading.

I don't have advice necessarily, but I hope it will be comforting to you if
I tell you that being short bothered DN personally for a while, but it
didn't affect in his opinion how others treated him. The girls all think
he's sooooooooooo cute, lol, and the guys think he's a decent human
being...the guys who wouldn't, I guess, don't get much of a second look by
DN, nor anything in return.

DN starts 11th grade next month, and he's adapted very well to high school.
I doubt he's much taller than 5'...maybe by an inch or so. He does go to a
small magnet high school, but kids are kids everywhere, and it is a public
school with local students of all heights, weights, and teenage temperament.
;-)

What would probably really help your son is to stay in touch during the
summer with a friend or two or more, so there's someone to know at the new
school. There are so many opportunities for involvement in high school, and
finding himself a place where he feels comfortable (gaming club, chess club,
computer club, whatever) would, IMO, help him feel comfortable in his body.

Anyway, he's a cutie. :-) From what I know from SD17, that matters more
than height!

Jennifer

[Jennifer]

"WhansaMi" <whansami@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20040804192941.11031.00002772@mb-m02.aol.com...

Okay, here's the deal. DS is 14 years old. He's always been small (5th percentile for height throughout most of his life, although, I remember

one

point where he was on the 20th percentile line on the graph). He's a good

kid,

bright, polite, good sense of humor, but not at all athletic. At middle

school

he was thought very highly of by his teachers, and had a group of about 6

or 7

boys that he hung out with, had lunch with, etc. They, like him, tended

toward

the computer-geek-type (gamers), although, according to his teachers, he

was

liked by most of the other kids. I saw this myself as we would walk to

and

from the school... other kids made it a point to say hi to him. He is a

bit

shy, but really does get his energy by being with others. I tease him

that he

is a contradiction --- a shy extrovert!

Sheila, your son is incredibly similar to my nephew, who turns 16 next
month. He has also always been at 5th% or less, he's a skinny guy, and very
short. His older brother was short for a while but did get a growth spurt,
but DN (dear nephew) never has. He's likely to be very short as an adult.
He's also bright, polite, a total gamer, big into reading.

I don't have advice necessarily, but I hope it will be comforting to you if
I tell you that being short bothered DN personally for a while, but it
didn't affect in his opinion how others treated him. The girls all think
he's sooooooooooo cute, lol, and the guys think he's a decent human
being...the guys who wouldn't, I guess, don't get much of a second look by
DN, nor anything in return.

DN starts 11th grade next month, and he's adapted very well to high school.
I doubt he's much taller than 5'...maybe by an inch or so. He does go to a
small magnet high school, but kids are kids everywhere, and it is a public
school with local students of all heights, weights, and teenage temperament.
;-)

What would probably really help your son is to stay in touch during the
summer with a friend or two or more, so there's someone to know at the new
school. There are so many opportunities for involvement in high school, and
finding himself a place where he feels comfortable (gaming club, chess club,
computer club, whatever) would, IMO, help him feel comfortable in his body.

Anyway, he's a cutie. :-) From what I know from SD17, that matters more
than height!

Jennifer

[WhansaMi]

>"Ignoramus11472" <ignoramus11472@NOSPAM.11472.invalid> wrote in message

news:ces1rv$uj7$1@pita.alt.net...

please

side of

Is wrestling an option? He'd be competing in his own weight class, so hissize might be less a disadvantage. Maybe he'd enjoy it.

While I understand what you and Igor are saying, basically, DS is *not* a
particularly physical kid. He enjoys fencing because there is a
historical/fantastical element to it (his dad says they might join SCA this
year), but he's never even been the type to wrestle for fun --- much less for
sport!

Sheila

[WhansaMi]

>"Ignoramus11472" <ignoramus11472@NOSPAM.11472.invalid> wrote in message

news:ces1rv$uj7$1@pita.alt.net...

please

side of

Is wrestling an option? He'd be competing in his own weight class, so hissize might be less a disadvantage. Maybe he'd enjoy it.

While I understand what you and Igor are saying, basically, DS is *not* a
particularly physical kid. He enjoys fencing because there is a
historical/fantastical element to it (his dad says they might join SCA this
year), but he's never even been the type to wrestle for fun --- much less for
sport!

Sheila

[Ignoramus11472]

In article <20040804231257.11031.00002787@mb-m02.aol.com>, WhansaMi wrote:

"Ignoramus11472" <ignoramus11472@NOSPAM.11472.invalid> wrote in messagenews:ces1rv$uj7$1@pita.alt.net...

please

side of

Is wrestling an option? He'd be competing in his own weight class, so hissize might be less a disadvantage. Maybe he'd enjoy it. While I understand what you and Igor are saying, basically, DS is *not* a particularly physical kid. He enjoys fencing because there is a historical/fantastical element to it (his dad says they might join SCA this year), but he's never even been the type to wrestle for fun --- much less for sport!

I am not particularly physical either and teaching me to dance is
impossible. I enjoy sports that require concentration and effort, for
example running and weightlifting.

Your son may also find something that involves physical activity but
fits his personality. Riding horse is also historical, I am sure that
you can come up with more stuff.

i

[Ignoramus11472]

In article <20040804231257.11031.00002787@mb-m02.aol.com>, WhansaMi wrote:

"Ignoramus11472" <ignoramus11472@NOSPAM.11472.invalid> wrote in messagenews:ces1rv$uj7$1@pita.alt.net...

please

side of

Is wrestling an option? He'd be competing in his own weight class, so hissize might be less a disadvantage. Maybe he'd enjoy it. While I understand what you and Igor are saying, basically, DS is *not* a particularly physical kid. He enjoys fencing because there is a historical/fantastical element to it (his dad says they might join SCA this year), but he's never even been the type to wrestle for fun --- much less for sport!

I am not particularly physical either and teaching me to dance is
impossible. I enjoy sports that require concentration and effort, for
example running and weightlifting.

Your son may also find something that involves physical activity but
fits his personality. Riding horse is also historical, I am sure that
you can come up with more stuff.

i

[Tai]

WhansaMi wrote:

Can I help? Being small can be a bonus for girls, but I'm sure it is a liability for boys. As his dad tells it, he was the shortest, skinniest kid in school until he was sixteen, when he "shot up" (all the way to 5'9"! ;-)). Any suggestions anyone can make about how to help him?

I have read that children usually reach the height or greater of their
parents' heights averaged. So if you're 5'4" and your son's father is 5'9"
your son could expect to reach at least 5' 6". Maybe. I don't think it's an
exact science!

My eldest son has always been on the small side and followed the 25% curve
from his infancy (once he got over being a 10lb newborn, that is). He turned
14 last month and I recorded his height and weight. He's on the 50th
percentile for height and 25th for weight based on the US CDC tables which
we use too. (Apparently US teenage boys are slightly taller and heavier than
Aus. boys.)

I was a bit surprised because although I knew he'd had a growth spurt (4
inches in a year rather the the usual 2) and overtaken me in height recently
I hadn't realised he was dead on average for his age. Most of his friends
are taller than him so the tables are not necessarily relevant to small
groups of kids.

Anyway, my son has never been terribly sporty. This year is the first he's
played soccer for fun in the school yard at lunchtime (although he's had
several years of weekend club soccer). He's never been competitive in
physical pursuits and I don't think that has anything much to do with his
size, it's his personality. He moves quite quickly when he wants to but
lacks the killer instinct... it probably helps that he's so slender,
otherwise he'd have even more reason to spend all his waking hours in front
of a computer screen playing "Halo" or whatever is his current passion.

He likes things like swimming and cycling and has recently mentioned doing
some weight training. I think if you gently steered your son towards
activities that relied more on setting personal goals than measuring himself
against others it might help his self-confidence.

Just as an aside, my son started some orthodontic treatment recently and as
part of the evaluation his mouth and wrist were x-rayed. The Orthodontist
was able to tell him that he was just about to start his growth spurt by
looking at his wrist development. If your son's mouth is costing you a
fortune it's possible his Orthodontist has similar information.

Tai

[Tai]

WhansaMi wrote:

Can I help? Being small can be a bonus for girls, but I'm sure it is a liability for boys. As his dad tells it, he was the shortest, skinniest kid in school until he was sixteen, when he "shot up" (all the way to 5'9"! ;-)). Any suggestions anyone can make about how to help him?

I have read that children usually reach the height or greater of their
parents' heights averaged. So if you're 5'4" and your son's father is 5'9"
your son could expect to reach at least 5' 6". Maybe. I don't think it's an
exact science!

My eldest son has always been on the small side and followed the 25% curve
from his infancy (once he got over being a 10lb newborn, that is). He turned
14 last month and I recorded his height and weight. He's on the 50th
percentile for height and 25th for weight based on the US CDC tables which
we use too. (Apparently US teenage boys are slightly taller and heavier than
Aus. boys.)

I was a bit surprised because although I knew he'd had a growth spurt (4
inches in a year rather the the usual 2) and overtaken me in height recently
I hadn't realised he was dead on average for his age. Most of his friends
are taller than him so the tables are not necessarily relevant to small
groups of kids.

Anyway, my son has never been terribly sporty. This year is the first he's
played soccer for fun in the school yard at lunchtime (although he's had
several years of weekend club soccer). He's never been competitive in
physical pursuits and I don't think that has anything much to do with his
size, it's his personality. He moves quite quickly when he wants to but
lacks the killer instinct... it probably helps that he's so slender,
otherwise he'd have even more reason to spend all his waking hours in front
of a computer screen playing "Halo" or whatever is his current passion.

He likes things like swimming and cycling and has recently mentioned doing
some weight training. I think if you gently steered your son towards
activities that relied more on setting personal goals than measuring himself
against others it might help his self-confidence.

Just as an aside, my son started some orthodontic treatment recently and as
part of the evaluation his mouth and wrist were x-rayed. The Orthodontist
was able to tell him that he was just about to start his growth spurt by
looking at his wrist development. If your son's mouth is costing you a
fortune it's possible his Orthodontist has similar information.

Tai

[shinypenny]

"Jennifer" <JenPam2003@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:<MLqdnfqby9sGPYzcRVn-gQ@comcast.com>...

The girls all think he's sooooooooooo cute, lol,

No suggestions, since I have petite girls not boys, but I wanted to
make a plea to all the mothers of short-fry boys: please, encourage
your boys to date short-fry girls!

I'm only 5'. I was 4'11" all through high school. I preferred and
wanted to date guys who were 5' to 5'4" because it was much more
comfortable to slow dance with them. But to my chagrin, it seemed like
all the boys in this height range wanted nothing to do with a short
gal. They looked right past me to the taller girls!

So I resigned myself to dating those who would date me: guys who were
taller than 5'8". In fact, most of the guys I've dated are over 6
feet. My ex was 5'11" and DF is 5'10." The few guys who were under
5'4" were the most physically comfortable for me - I loved being able
to slow dance and stare into their eyes or kiss them standing up
without getting a friggin' crick in my neck!!!!

I could never figure this out, until in my 20s I briefly dated a guy
who was 5'2". The reason we broke up? He was quite candid about it. He
said that his mother would *kill* him if he fell in love with and
brought home a girl under 5'5"!!! His mother told him it was up to him
to marry a tall girl so that they could get some tall genes in the
family!!!

That's probably an extreme, but it clicked with me that maybe all
these short guys in high school felt that by dating a taller girl
they'd somehow look taller themselves?? I dunno! I just never
understood it.

So Jennifer & Sheila, please encourage your boys to date us petite
gals!

jen

[shinypenny]

"Jennifer" <JenPam2003@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:<MLqdnfqby9sGPYzcRVn-gQ@comcast.com>...

The girls all think he's sooooooooooo cute, lol,

No suggestions, since I have petite girls not boys, but I wanted to
make a plea to all the mothers of short-fry boys: please, encourage
your boys to date short-fry girls!

I'm only 5'. I was 4'11" all through high school. I preferred and
wanted to date guys who were 5' to 5'4" because it was much more
comfortable to slow dance with them. But to my chagrin, it seemed like
all the boys in this height range wanted nothing to do with a short
gal. They looked right past me to the taller girls!

So I resigned myself to dating those who would date me: guys who were
taller than 5'8". In fact, most of the guys I've dated are over 6
feet. My ex was 5'11" and DF is 5'10." The few guys who were under
5'4" were the most physically comfortable for me - I loved being able
to slow dance and stare into their eyes or kiss them standing up
without getting a friggin' crick in my neck!!!!

I could never figure this out, until in my 20s I briefly dated a guy
who was 5'2". The reason we broke up? He was quite candid about it. He
said that his mother would *kill* him if he fell in love with and
brought home a girl under 5'5"!!! His mother told him it was up to him
to marry a tall girl so that they could get some tall genes in the
family!!!

That's probably an extreme, but it clicked with me that maybe all
these short guys in high school felt that by dating a taller girl
they'd somehow look taller themselves?? I dunno! I just never
understood it.

So Jennifer & Sheila, please encourage your boys to date us petite
gals!

jen

[shinypenny]

"Tai" <tainuiti@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:<2ne44aFv7muhU1@uni-berlin.de>...

I have read that children usually reach the height or greater of their parents' heights averaged. So if you're 5'4" and your son's father is 5'9" your son could expect to reach at least 5' 6". Maybe. I don't think it's an exact science! My eldest son has always been on the small side and followed the 25% curve from his infancy (once he got over being a 10lb newborn, that is). He turned 14 last month and I recorded his height and weight. He's on the 50th percentile for height and 25th for weight based on the US CDC tables which we use too. (Apparently US teenage boys are slightly taller and heavier than Aus. boys.)

The curves confuse me. According to the curves, my DD11 is supposed to
end up only 5 feet tall, and DD10 is projected to be taller, maybe
even 5'4." But so far, DD11 seems to be outstripping expectations. Her
feet are the same size as mine and she's already just one inch shorter
than me.

Meanwhile, DD10 is a peanut that's not growing very fast compared to
her sister at the same age. Maybe she'll have a growth spurt soon, but
I dunno. She seems destined to reach only 5 feet, while her sister
easily will top that.

jen

[shinypenny]

"Tai" <tainuiti@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:<2ne44aFv7muhU1@uni-berlin.de>...

I have read that children usually reach the height or greater of their parents' heights averaged. So if you're 5'4" and your son's father is 5'9" your son could expect to reach at least 5' 6". Maybe. I don't think it's an exact science! My eldest son has always been on the small side and followed the 25% curve from his infancy (once he got over being a 10lb newborn, that is). He turned 14 last month and I recorded his height and weight. He's on the 50th percentile for height and 25th for weight based on the US CDC tables which we use too. (Apparently US teenage boys are slightly taller and heavier than Aus. boys.)

The curves confuse me. According to the curves, my DD11 is supposed to
end up only 5 feet tall, and DD10 is projected to be taller, maybe
even 5'4." But so far, DD11 seems to be outstripping expectations. Her
feet are the same size as mine and she's already just one inch shorter
than me.

Meanwhile, DD10 is a peanut that's not growing very fast compared to
her sister at the same age. Maybe she'll have a growth spurt soon, but
I dunno. She seems destined to reach only 5 feet, while her sister
easily will top that.

jen

[Tony Miller]

On 5 Aug 2004 05:35:13 -0700, shinypenny
<shinypenny0001@yahoo.com> wrote:

<Snip>

That's probably an extreme, but it clicked with me that maybe all these short guys in high school felt that by dating a taller girl they'd somehow look taller themselves?? I dunno! I just never understood it.

Well, with a tall girl they could dance cheek to... well... you know.

-Tony

--
"If the grass appears to be greener on the other side of the fence, it's time
to fertilize your lawn!"
Want to jump start your marriage? Consider a Marriage Encounter weekend.
Check out http://www.wwme.org for more information.

[Tony Miller]

On 5 Aug 2004 05:35:13 -0700, shinypenny
<shinypenny0001@yahoo.com> wrote:

<Snip>

That's probably an extreme, but it clicked with me that maybe all these short guys in high school felt that by dating a taller girl they'd somehow look taller themselves?? I dunno! I just never understood it.

Well, with a tall girl they could dance cheek to... well... you know.

-Tony

--
"If the grass appears to be greener on the other side of the fence, it's time
to fertilize your lawn!"
Want to jump start your marriage? Consider a Marriage Encounter weekend.
Check out http://www.wwme.org for more information.

[Bogart]

This height thing is very interesting.

I'm a 51 year old male (so I'm at the other end (in time)
of all these shenanigans). I'm 5'8" which isn't amazingly
tall for a male. I was married for 21 years to a woman who
was about half an inch or an inch taller and I wasn't
really conscious of height then. I think I'm aware now
that physical things just work better if the female is
smaller or same height not taller and I believe average
female height is less than average male height so this
makes sense. In many peoples' minds there is a loose association
between being talk and being a leader and maybe being male
and strong and all that stuff. There's the female liking
for taller men and so on.

Some things about being not as tall as people you are
with - try getting served in a crowd at a bar - they
just look past you.

I'm not attracted to women taller than me (don't
ask how I spent 21 years with one - it was a mistake).

So - the fact that there is some tendency for females to
match with males taller than themself has implications.
If I seek females less than or equal to my height then
that's a smaller number of available females than for
a male who is 6 ft. So when 6 foot males go for 5 foot
females they are making it more difficult for 5 foot
males (unless those males like taller women).

As for the guy who lets his mother dictate what height
girls he dates - well I hope one day he will make his own
choices and tell his mother where to get off. And I
can't understand any female being interested in such
a non self-determining male even if he is yet young.

Yes, slow dancing is lovely, even at 51. Especially
at 51.

bogey

The girls all thinkhe's sooooooooooo cute, lol, No suggestions, since I have petite girls not boys, but I wanted to make a plea to all the mothers of short-fry boys: please, encourage your boys to date short-fry girls! I'm only 5'. I was 4'11" all through high school. I preferred and wanted to date guys who were 5' to 5'4" because it was much more comfortable to slow dance with them. But to my chagrin, it seemed like all the boys in this height range wanted nothing to do with a short gal. They looked right past me to the taller girls! So I resigned myself to dating those who would date me: guys who were taller than 5'8". In fact, most of the guys I've dated are over 6 feet. My ex was 5'11" and DF is 5'10." The few guys who were under 5'4" were the most physically comfortable for me - I loved being able to slow dance and stare into their eyes or kiss them standing up without getting a friggin' crick in my neck!!!! I could never figure this out, until in my 20s I briefly dated a guy who was 5'2". The reason we broke up? He was quite candid about it. He said that his mother would *kill* him if he fell in love with and brought home a girl under 5'5"!!! His mother told him it was up to him to marry a tall girl so that they could get some tall genes in the family!!! That's probably an extreme, but it clicked with me that maybe all these short guys in high school felt that by dating a taller girl they'd somehow look taller themselves?? I dunno! I just never understood it. So Jennifer & Sheila, please encourage your boys to date us petite gals! jen