Feeling Too Tall or Too Short (Part 2)
How Tall Will I Be?
You might want to know how tall you will be. Will you be nose to nose with your mom or dad someday? There’s no way to know for sure how tall a kid will be as an adult, but it’s easy to get a clue: Look at your parents and the other adult members of your family. How tall are they? Chances are you’ll be around the same height as your parents. If one parent is tall and one short, then you’re likely to end up somewhere in between.
But you could be taller or shorter, too. Boy, there are a lot of "buts" when it comes to height! That’s because your height is determined by your genes — the complicated code of instructions that you inherit from your parents. Genes tell your body how to grow and determine lots of things, including how tall you are.
But those genes don’t make you an exact copy of your mom or dad. Kids only get some of the genes from each of their parents, and parents don’t give the same bunch of their genes to each kid. If you have brothers and sisters, you know this is true. Brothers and sisters can look very different even though you have the same parents. Even identical twins can end up being different heights!
What Can I Do Right Now?
If you are still worried about your height, talk to your parents and your doctor. Most kids don't have a growth problem that needs help from a doctor, but it’s always OK to ask if you're concerned.
So for most kids, it seems like there’s not much to do but wait to see how it all turns out. But you can do something right now:
Eat healthy and take care of yourself. If you get the nutrition, sleep, and exercise you need, you’re likely to reach your maximum potential height. In other words, you’ll grow as tall as you were meant to grow.
And even though you may hear people say it, taking extra vitamins or supplements that you can buy in a store won’t help you get taller. Just stick to a healthy diet if you want to be the tallest you can be!
Kids who wish they weren’t so tall should still eat healthy and take care of themselves, of course. Eating less won’t make you end up any shorter unless you really starved yourself and made yourself sick.
As they get older, most kids learn to feel comfortable with their height, whether they turn out tall, short, or somewhere in between.
Source: kidshealth.org
Other links:
When Its Just You After School (Part 1)
When Its Just You After School (Part 2)
Getting Along With Brothers and Sisters
Computers Can Be a Real Pain
Talking About Your Feelings
Getting Along With Parents
