I have a 10yr old daughter who is quite short for her age. She is approx 1.29 (4.3 ft)
So I am about 5.4ft.
Now the dilemma, every time we have seen a paed or now a new Dr we are suggested that she is quite short and we should consider growth hormones.
The medication can have significant side effects with 'possibly' gaining an inch or so in height.
Am I being too relaxed by saying no to the growth hormones and letting her be her. If she is short, is that really a problem?
I don't know.
11 Replies
You're short, now imagine being even shorter, as she's a foot off you. Would it be hard for her to live with without saying you'd tried everything? How significant are the side effects. What does she want? You and her are probably the best ones to answer.
I'm 5 foot. Girls stop growing earlier than boys, I hit puberty early and was done growing by 13. There are 10 year olds out there taller than me 😂 It's a pain, I do wish for another 10cms sometimes! I have been plagued by jokes my whole life. If these hormones are already naturally occurring in our bodies then I say why not, especially if she seems to be lacking it.
My sisters and I are just under 5ft. It’s a non issue. We’ve always been the short kids. It doesn’t bother us being short.
As my mother always said ‘we ge wet last when it rains’.
I'm 5 foot and don't give a rats ass. It creates resourcefulness of nothing else. If you ever see a shortass striding from the supermarket cleaning isle carrying a broom with a determined look on her face rest assured it's just me chasing something from the top shelf.
Funny I actually did that at Bunnings today 😂
129 cms doesn't seem extremely short for a 10 year old. My recently turned 10 year old daughter would probably only be a few cms taller than that and she's also quite petite.
Where as some of the girls in her class are already my height!
I'm 5"6, my hubby is 5"8 my dad's about 5"6, my mum and mother in law are both barely 5 foot even 😂
I don't think my kids are ever gonna be NBA stars lol.
She's still yet to go through puberty, chances are she'll spurt up a bit then too.
Being short is certainly not a life sentence, I'd be concerned about the potential implications of unnecessary hormones more than shortness.
Personally, I'd let it be. She hasn't hit puberty yet. There's much worse things than being shorter. As my mother says "Good things come in small packages"
I've known a few kids that were absolutely tiny but then filled out and shot up like a bean stalk when they hit puberty!
Then there are people like me who peaked early and haven't grown a millimetre since age 12 😂
Depending on how many months she is over 10 years she is somewhere between 1st to 5th percentile for height. 2nd percentile is considered dwarfism. An adult height of 147cm or less is considered dwarfism. I don't know, if it was my kid I would probably have a good think about it.
And id take doctors advice on growth rates and hormones over internet advice every time
I would go with my gut feeling. "Short" isn't a problem (especially in a kid who hasn't even gone through puberty). If she were in pain or not achieving other milestones I'd consider intervening.