My son hates being short.

My DS (12) is the smallest in his year and would love to be 5ft 2 at 14, but he's been down the hospital route and been reassured about his adult height, he's just going to get there later. So for us, the medical route has helped put some worries to rest. He's also likely to go through puberty quite late, so the girlfriend/boyfriend thing isn't bothering him.

However, my DS is unexpectedly short compared to DH and I, whereas your DS is unlikely to be big as an adult. It might not make him feel better to find out his predicted adult height if he's pinning his distess on feeling shorter than his peers. Instead the advice to focus on what he does have, improving his fitness and gaining self esteem through hobbies, context (X has acne, y hates being so tall - nobody is fully formed at 14) and the reassurance he only needs to be found attractive by a few people, not put on some weird scale are the ways forward.

Good luck, I'm sure he'll be fine.

And how on earth is talking to the Dr and running tests on his height going to make him feel more confident?! You’re basically reaffirming that he is unusually short!

Only read your posts OP and skimmed a few others so forgive me if this is suggested elsewhere or if I missed in your posts. Sounds like you're doing all the right things for self esteem already. Can you show him media or real life examples of a taller woman dating a shorter man (I fall under this category!! Am very happy!) - e.g. Zendaya and Tom Holland! (And no no no to previous poster re growth hormones?!)

Edited to add, this is merely to show that all pairings are possible, of course if he falls in love with a shorter partner then that's totally fine too :-) also he sounds on the right trajectory for mid parental height to me, so I'd be inclined to not worry re going to a doctor at mo!

i would explain to your son that everyone has something that they’re not happy with. Weight, skin, hair, eyes etc, height is just his thing. It doesn’t define him and it’s just a fact of life that no one is perfectly happy with their lot. Had your son mixed with kids from other ethnicities? Japanese/Chinese people are shorter than western people so what he sees as “norm” if he is in a western context may not be the norm elsewhere. I would just reinforce that it is what it is, and it’s not an issue. His feelings are important, but in reality, no one gives a rats about height or these superficial things, it’s the person that counts. Oh gymnasts, divers, there are sports also where being short is an advantage.

Many of the women on this board are. There is a social media storm about this currently and we see just how sick many people are - men and WOMEN.

Eewww.

What the hell is wrong with you.

What a disgusting & shallow post!

I don't think the op is odd but some of the replies certainly are. They're acting as if being less than 6ft is some sort of disfigurement for a man. Absolutely insane.

You need to work on his self esteem, anxiety and confidence because he might not get much taller.

That said though, my parents aren't exactly very tall and my brothers were short until about 15/16 and then all had a growth spurt and they're all over 6ft.

This thread is very odd..surely this is more about self confidence than anything else. I have a 14 year old who is short. He is 5 foot 4 which doesn't sound that short but he is a lot shorter than many in his class. His dad is short he looks like a grandad who was tiny so I've told him not to get his hopes up... And we build his confidence all the time in lots of small ways. I would suggest you stop focusing on this and visits to the doctor etc. Some people are just shorter and that's fine.

Unfortunately he was never likely to be a tall man given you and DH’s heights. 14 is still young for boys too, my DD is 14 (year 9) and the boys in her year have only just starting to grow taller than her this year, lots are still shorter than her and she’s only 5’1”!
I would focus on building his confidence, find examples of shorter celebrities, let him know the right person will like him for who he is not his height.
I don’t think taking him for private tests will help him right now, it’s going to confirm to him that you agree there’s a problem when there really isn’t. Boys don’t usually stop growing until 18 or even older

This has to be a joke. Nobody is this fucked up in the head surely?

OP I am 5 2 as well and my husband isn’t tall either. I think 5 6 maybe. My oldest boy was very short until about 15 and he’s shot up. Hes now same height as dad at 16 and still
got another 4 years to grow. Also bigger feet than dad. They can end up taller than both parents it really depends because environment and genetics play a role.

His parents are both 1 inch shorter than average, and he’s currently 1.5 inches shorter than average. It’s really silly to be spending any time at all worrying about this. I can understand him worrying about it, as he’s a teenager and worrying about silly things is par for the course.

But I really think you need to stop indulging it for yourself OP. Taking him to the doctors and talking about going private show that you care about it way more than you should, and you’re just reinforcing to him that it’s a problem when it isn’t. I’m not saying you have to just cut him off from talking about it at all. But the message coming from you should be that he’s about the height he should be given his genetics and he’s not that far below average anyway. If he’s being picked on, work on his self esteem because boys will pick on anything and it’s not really about his height at all. Telling him you’ll look into it further and talking about how he might yet have a growth spurt and reach average height is just making him feel worse about where he is and cruelly getting his hopes up.

I know I’m a female so slightly different but I was the shortest in my class until the age of 15…..and I’m now 5ft9. That puberty growth spurt might not have kicked in yet.

That comment is utterly ridiculous. As if we're all supposed to be seeking out gigantic partners so we can churn out 6 foot tall sons. Height doesn't matter! Men don't have to conform to some arbitrary beauty standard any more than women do.

My husband Dad is around 5.9 and his Mum 5ft - he is 5.5. I do believe there was concerns around 14/15 but his Mum refused any treatment for him at the time.
My husband has always owned his height he knows he’s a short but he’s confident with it. I fell for him not his height. That confidence, his sense of humour is worth more to me. And he has always seemed to have a girlfriend through his teenage years. I know it’s harder for teenage boys, especially as they seem to grow so much later! My own daughter year 10 the boys seem to massively be different in heights from 5ft to 6ft!

I’m taller than him. Yes usually my type would have been a 6ft plus man - but I wouldn’t change him.

My ds was tiny compared to his friends and was ridiculed for his height however he didn’t take a growth spurt until he was 15 and didn’t stop growing until he was 18. He is now approx 5ft 11, which is taller than his dad and myself. Dad is 5ft 9 and I’m 5ft 8. He is still smaller than most of his friends but not by much whereas before they were all head and shoulders above him.

As long as he'll be taller than a fair few women I don't think he'll face any issues. 5 ft 11, which is only 3 inches more is considered tall. He needs to work on what he can change physically, cleanliness, biceps if he wants, a good hair cut, clothes etc. But the main attractive quality will be his personality.
Girls tend to like smaller boys ime of schools.

Nothing to add on the potential height he might attain. But I am on the short side and have always had comments such as, 'Aren't you small?'. My reply - 'Only on the outside !'. That usually shuts people up and makes them smile
If your son is getting comments about his height at the moment, it might be useful for him to have a few kind/fun retorts under his belt to help him feel in control of the situation.
If he grows to the height he wants then fine, if not, then he will have got used to handling other people's unhelpful comments in a non-defensive way.
Unfortunately when some people see that you are bothered by their comments it makes them do it even more.

P.s. it might not be appropriate for his age but there is a You Tube channel called SBSK (Special books for special kids). It is a heartwarming series of interviews with children who have severe body issues/illnesses etc. They often come across as lovely, charming and likeable individuals and it shows that physical appearance is only a small part of who we are. It also made me thankful that my lack of height is nothing compared to what these kids are dealing with.
I know that will be no comfort for a teenage boy, but I recommend anyone to watch this channel anyway as a way to understand and accept difference.

No and yes, I kind of agree with you. I am actually not bothered but it is just some men do like to be tall. He honestly wouldn’t care though tbh, nothing much bothers him, but you are right, I’ll take back my crossed fingers.
I would not say that of my daughters, no, but one of them would wish for that and the other one would wish for a smaller chest but this is just something they joke about. I would actually just wish for them all to be healthy, which, sadly, they are not.

I've known a few people like this.

A friend in my teens/early 20s was only 5'3". He had a growth spurt when he was over 21, and ended up 5'8" - still on the short side, but not massively so.

He'd got a 10-year passport when he was 20, and worried people would think he was travelling on a fake one!