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The Tall and Short of It
Eight-year-old Sam Merritt can jump on his bed without worrying about hitting his head; he can squeeze into tight spaces during hide-and-seek; and he figures he'll never have to duck when he gets off the school bus. But he does have to listen to endless comments from strangers, classmates, and even relatives about his size. At 3'10", Sam looks more like a kindergartner than a third-grader. To make matters worse, his 4'2" twin sister, Amanda, is tall for her age. "People make the most insensitive remarks like, 'No, they can't be twins -- he looks like the little brother,'" says their dad, Scott, of Loganville, Georgia. "It bothers me, so it must get to him."
Four-year-old Veronica Meyer, however, has inches to spare. The 4-foot-tall preschooler from Brooklyn is the same height as many 7-year-old girls. Her 2-year-old sister, Natalie, is tall too. "People ask what I feed them, like there's some super food for height," says their mother, Julie. "I'm nearly 6' and my husband is 6'2". Our daughters obviously inherited our tall genes, but people still feel the need to point out their size."
Kids come in all shapes: tall or short, round or pencil thin. And they all want to fit in and be accepted. But when you're dwarfed by classmates -- or you tower above them -- fitting in can be more of a challenge. "Kids get teased about physical differences like height, weight, having a big nose, or wearing glasses. Unfortunately, people make a lot of judgments -- and a lot of thoughtless comments -- based on appearances," says Meredith Dreyer, PhD, a pediatric psychologist at Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, in Kansas City, Missouri.
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My 10 year old daughter is 5'4" as of her last physical in May. I am 5'6" and her daddy is 5'10". My 6 year old little boy is 4'11" as of May also, and I can tell by how he's been eating lately, he's fixing to hit another growth spur.
9/16/2011 12:42:05 PM Report AbuseMy 3 year old is 3 foot 7 (43 inches).
8/8/2011 12:07:36 PM Report AbuseMy son who is 23 months, is 36 inches tall and 31.5 lbs, he's very proportionate and very strong, he looks very much like he's 3 or 3 1/2. But then again he's been in the 90th to 95th percentile since he was born, weighing in at 8lbs 8ozs and 21 inches long. Although he didn't look chubby when he wsa born he had a very broad chest and long arms and legs. My lil football player :)
6/20/2011 08:38:15 AM Report AbuseMy five year old is always 5-6" shorter than his classmates.
6/6/2011 08:24:19 AM Report AbuseMy 2-year-old looks more like a 4-year-old. People look at me in disbelief when I tell them she is 2. At her last checkup she was in the 98th percentile for height. She is 40" tall.
6/1/2011 11:38:58 AM Report AbuseMy almost 7 year old is only 3ft 6inches.
5/27/2011 03:54:54 PM Report Abusemy 5 year son now only 15 kgs and high only 3' and 8" what about his health plz be me a solution
3/25/2011 05:02:17 AM Report Abusemy 2 yrs old is 3ft tall and still growing
7/18/2010 03:04:29 PM Report AbuseAt 3 ft tall, my 1 1/2 yr old is tall for her age. She's healthy, fit and well proportioned but I anticipate the teasing and insensitive remarks. Its ridiculous that as a society, we haven't come to a place where we can overlook physical differences.
4/7/2010 04:45:22 PM Report AbuseAll kids are teased, my son is a nice guy who is nice looking. He came home in tears after some kid told him his lips were too red. They are a natural heathy shade. My son reponded by saying "that's the way God made me" I was proud. But sadly my son now stares at his lips everyday in the mirror. Everyone needs to give their children sensitivity training!
2/18/2010 03:15:13 PM Report Abusemy 2yr old is 4ft3
11/3/2009 07:29:21 PM Report Abusemy 2yr old is 4ft3
11/3/2009 07:16:38 PM Report Abuse