My son hates being short.

Being short is a good filter against shallow females that only want someone taller.

He's of an age where the last boys to hit puberty do look like lost little boys who strayed into the wrong classroom but that can change very rapidly when the hormones get going, and he's got a long potential growth period still ahead of him. They do catch up. If he follows his dad to 5'8", that's a perfectly mainstream male height and it didn't hold his dad back on finding a partner.

Hang tough OP only time will tell. And yes it sounds like he will be shorter than average ( like his parents ) . Set the example of being comfortable as you are .

DH's parents were short, but his grandparents weren't.
DH shot up 6" at the age of 14 to 6'.

nearly all the boys in my school did their growing around 14-15 - I remember there was a summer holiday and when we came back suddenly they were all taller than us! Very Normal to be short at his age. I guess I’d compare it to growing boobs - some girls have boobs at that age, some grow them later, some stay with a relatively small breast size AND IT DOESN’T REALLY MATTER. It’s so hard to realise that at 14 but it’s true isn’t, most people find relationships with people who love them for who they are.

I would be emphasising to him that the thing that girls love is confidence and the thing that puts them off is whinginess. Tinder is a cesspit and he’s much better off learning to speak to girls, to show an interest in them, to make genuine female friends (including girls he doesn’t fancy), to take rejection and bounce back from it, and to ask girls questions about themselves etc. and learn some life skills. Most 16 year olds will be up for a guy who can hold a good conversation, make pizza, and who presents himself well.

How do you know they wouldn’t have reached it without the swimming or basketball?

Swimming and basketball may help. I know two separate cases, where it helped kids to grow to the full height potential.

I'm 5ft 7 my husband is 5ft 11 my son is 6ft 4! God knows how

My eldest DS is 5ft 6 he's over 30 now so he won't get any taller. My youngest is just over 6ft and still growing. Genetics are strange my grandmother was 6ft and my grandfather was a lot shorter. My dad is 5ft 5.
I'm small too at 5ft 3inch. Not sure what I'm trying to say except it's never really been an issue.

I mean - you cant do anything about this OP - just have to make him try to be ok with it . It'll happen eventually.

Or visit some areas where people are on average a bit smaller eg Cardiff? Just for a bit of reassurance that it doesn't matter.

I feel for you and him. My son is 7 and he’s been upset tonight saying that he’s fat and too short. He doesn’t have a single bit of fat on him and he is small. There seems to be so much more focus and pressure on the way you look these days.
I like tall and short men and can’t understand why people are so obsessed with a man’s height. There are so many more important things to consider than height. I don’t know what the answer is..
I probably went about this completely the wrong way, but I said that he was not chubby and pointed out a couple of kids who are and asked him what he thought about them, he said they’re kind and friends of his. I said well there you go, even if you were chubby nobody actually cares, we are all different sizes, it’s about who you are and how you make people feel.

I think pp are asking about his height because that will inform how to best deal with it.

If he is a bit shorter than average but still within the norm for boys his age, it's a very different issue to being signigicantly shorter than others boys his age.

If it's the first I would try to generally reassure him, maybe remind him that height isn't a good way to judge someone's worth, and that how confident he is about it will impact how others see him. And maybe look at characters from books/movies who are amazing and short. Like Tyrion Lannister or Miles Vorkosigan for instance.

If he is significantly shorter than average then I would be a lot more proactive about getting medical advice and making sure there isn't a hormonal imbalance or other health issue, as there is a limited window of opportunity for optimal treatment plans.

OP that’s not especially short, and he has an awful lot of growing yet to do. My DS is the same age and has grown 4 inches since Christmas. How big are his feet? I find they grow first.

My late teen DS grew considerably from 14 to now where he is 6ft and DH is 5ft 8 and I'm 5ft 6. However, my Dad side is Scandinavian and tall my Mum's side is very small so she having shrunk in older age is about 5ft so although 5ft 6 isn't that tall for a woman I appear to be in the middle. I think my DS has inherited the tallness from that side of the family. Do you and your DH have taller family where it may miss a generation?

This.
There are exercises that really help to stretch you and improve posture.

It sounds trite but it's absolutely true - it's about confidence. A man who is short but secure in himself, a good sense of humour, no machismo ego, and confident, is gonna have absolutely no problem with relationships.

I know you talk to him about liking himself, but can you get him into martial arts or another practice/hobby known for fueling self confidence?

So if that's his height, if he's only just 14 he's on the 25th centile, and even if he's almost 15 he's on the 9th. I'd be very surprised if he was the shortest in his year, unless he's also the youngest, which can bring its own issues.

In that case he’s only 1.5” shorter than the average that someone mentioned above, so really to be expected! Considering your heights he’s probably right on target.

Have you told him that many boys don’t have their growth spurts until a bit later? There are always a few that turn into giants at 13 but many boys don’t really until they’re 16 or
so. Is he worried about being shorter than the girls? It’s pretty common for girls to be comparatively taller until around 15 or so since our growth pattern is different. He just needs to be patient.

I would say going to the doctors about this was
a) likely to make him feel worse, as it suggests it’s a ‘problem’
b) a complete waste of the doctors time.

My brother was tiny as a young teen. His 6ft now. My mums barely 5ft dads around 6ft.

My son was teased horribly about his height, he was one of the shortest in his year - it’s one of the last prejudices it’s ok to mention. People with tall sons parade it like a badge of honour?! As if it’s an accomplishment. My son is nearly 15 and 5 foot 7 I’m hoping he’ll get to 5foot 10 his dad is 5 8 but it seems so many (most boys we know) outgrow their parents even though stats say otherwise.
We had my son’s hormones checked and a bone density scan etc - all were normal.

my husband was teased when he was younger and still is but he says you have to learn to get on with it and focus on other successes, sadly my son also has dyslexia and ADHD so he felt behind in so many areas. X

So only slightly below average? In which case it’s probably a case of waiting it out until he catches up.
My 11 year old DD is the shortest in her class, but DH is 6ft and I’m 5ft 6 so she’s probably not going to be really short. She’s also a long way off puberty, so I think she’ll just grow later than her friends (some of whom have already started their periods).

Based off that, parent’s height and his age, an adult height predictor says he’ll also be 5’8. I know that they’re not an exact science, but it sounds like he has nothing to worry about.

My partner is only an inch or so taller than me - I'm 5'5. I've never fancied anyone so much in my entire life and still do after being with him for 8 years!! I wish we could impress upon young people how little their physical attributes actually factor into whether they will find happy relationships in life. Andrew Tate and the like have a lot to fucking answer for making this worse.

I stopped growing at his age at 5 foot 3. I’ve led a happy and content life and tell those who look down o. Me where to go and don’t give them any head space