[Icing794]

I'm 14 and going to high school in September. I want to be tall. I don't think I look like a 14 year old and I definitely don't look like a high school student. I look like a 12 year old. I'm only 4"11 and my friends are 5"4 at least. I don't want to be short! People underestimate my age a lot. My swimming instructor thought I was 10. My guitar teacher thought I was 12. People think I'm younger than I actually am because of my height.

My mom is also short. She's 5"2 and my dads 5"7. I want to be tall! Tall like the models you see in magazines who are 6 feet tall. It feels embarrassing going to high school under 5 feet tall. It is also very hard for me to find clothes. Since I'm small, adult and teenage clothes don't fit me. Children's clothes do but I don't want to dress like a little kid in high school.

I hate being short. I have 2 years left of growing. I don't know if I will grow. I don't know if I'll ever be taller than my mom! I need to grow.

[Alty]

Your height is determined by your genes. If your parents are both short, you'll likely be short. There's absolutely nothing you can do about it.

If you're having trouble accepting who you are, you may consider counseling to help you deal with your negative thoughts about yourself, and learn to accept that there are certain things (height being one of them) that you can't change.

The sooner you learn this, the farther you'll go in life. There will be many things in life you will have to deal with, that you can't change.

[Jake2008]

There isn't much you can do about genetics.

The opposite can create problems as well. I am 5'7", and spent far too many years trying to look shorter.

What your height lacks, build up other attributes such as confidence, intelligence; join groups and sports, band in school, yearbook committee, etc. There are no barriers to height when it comes to finding something of interest with other like minded individuals.

You won't be judged by your height if you develop friendships where your height matters far less to them, than it does to you.

And those individuals are who they are also. Some will be shorter than you, some will be overweight, some with skin problems, handicaps, etc. There is no such thing as a perfect person, or a person to make yourself into- like a model for instance.

It takes time, but I hope you will not allow your stature to stop you from enjoying school, and making all the friends you can.

[Alty]

I agree with Jake. I'm 5'11", a female. I always hated being tall. At least shorter people can buy clothes off the rack. I have to go to specialty stores, because regular sizes aren't long enough. Just a pair of pants can cost me hundreds. I should have learned how to sew. :(

Everyone hates something about themselves. You're still young, so you have some growing to do yet, but chances are you'll never be the height you want to be. Accepting who you are, the way you are, is part of growing up, and part of life. Everyone goes through it.

[Fr_Chuck]

First you have maybe 4 or 5 years of growing left. But there is nothing you can do, you will be what height your DNA has arranged for you.