Feeling Too Tall Or Too Short

CEBU, Philippines -    “Line up shortest to tallest!” the teacher calls out. Not again, some kids might groan — especially if they have to stand at one end or the other.

or most kids, height isn’t something they can change, so what do you do if you don’t like how tall or short you are? It might be girls feeling too tall and boys feeling too short. But some really tall boys might not like all that height and some shorter girls might get tired of all the jokes or of feeling like they’re staying little while their friends are growing up.

It’s in your genes

But the truth is that everyone is growing up — it’s just that they’re doing it at their own pace. In other words, your body grows on its own schedule. You can’t wish yourself taller or stretch yourself. Or if you’re already tall, you can’t do anything to hurry your friends up so you’re not the tallest one.

For kids concerned about their height, there are two big questions:

1. When will I grow taller (or stop growing)?

2. How tall will I be?

Your genes, which you inherited from your parents, largely determine how tall you will end up being and how fast you’ll grow. Kids get taller more quickly during growth spurts, times when their bodies grow fast — as much as 4 inches or more in a year during puberty, for example!

When does height happen?

Your biggest growth spurt happened when you were a baby. In that first year of life, you grew about 10 inches as you got bigger and stronger. Since then, you’ve probably seen your height increase a few inches a year. You might find out how much you’ve grown during your annual checkup at the doctor’s office or when your pants get too short. Uh, oh — we can see your ankles!

After babyhood, the next big growth spurt for kids comes during puberty, a time of many changes when boys and girls grow bigger and start to look more like adult men and women. But no one can tell you exactly when you’ll experience these changes.

Puberty starts at different ages for different kids and it is a process that takes a couple of years. So the getting taller part will happen at different ages, depending on the kid, and whether he or she is a boy or a girl.

In general, puberty starts:

* between ages 8 and 13 in girls

* between 9 and 14 in boys

During puberty, boys and girls will have a growth spurt and grow to their adult height. So that means girls who start puberty the latest will still be getting taller in their mid-teens. For boys, the latest to reach puberty will still be getting taller into their late teens. A few of these boys may grow taller even into their early 20s!