Monday, April 09, 2007

I'm Short

I am devastated. I went to the doctor last week. And the nurse told me that I am only 5 feet 1.5 inches tall. NOOOOOOOOOO! I am at least 5'2", and I always round up to 5'3". The reason I am devastated is that I fear the nurse who measured me is correct, and I am, in fact, barely over 5 feet tall. I am tiny! NOOOOOOOO!

Not surprisingly, I was always one of the shortest kids in my class. In third through fifth grades, my best friend was one of the tallest kids in my class. Her parents met in college, where they both played basketball. In fifth grade, my friend was at least as tall as my mom. Probably taller, because when my friend's younger sister (who was in my sister's class) used to play dress up with my sister, my friend's sister had to wear my mom's shoes, and they were too small. IN SECOND GRADE.

Another story about how tall my friend and her sister were: Our moms took us to see Pee Wee's Big Adventure, and my friend's mom asked for tickets for one adult and two kids. The kid selling tickets did not believe that my friend and her sister were under 12. My friend was 10, and her sister was 7 or 8. Their mom had to show their birth certificates to get the kids' rate. So yes, my friend was tall.

Anyway, in fifth grade, my friend wanted to play basketball on the co-ed intramural team at school, but there weren't any other girls playing that year. So she asked me to play on the team with her, and I agreed. Not only was I much shorter than everyone else, I was also slow and uncoordinated. But I was just participating to support my friend, and I didn't care too much that I sucked. I just ran up and down the court and stayed out of the way of the action. Every once in a while, the coach made my team throw the ball to me, and all the boys would get out of my way to let me attempt a shot. I don't think I ever made it. I much preferred when I could just run up and down the court and daydream about whatever dorky things fifth graders daydream about.

So I have always accepted that I am short, but I am not 5'1.5". I am 5'3", dagnabbit.

26 comments:

Kim said...

you're not alone...sadly, I am short too.

I always thought I was 5'3" but the nurse measured me at 5'2 1/2"...it was a sad day :(

My oldest goddaughter just turned 10 and she measures in at 4'8" already and can now wear my shoes. I think it won't be long before she'll be borrowing my clothes ;)

3carnations said...

I also thought I was 5'3" for years, and was told a few years ago at a doctor's appointment that I am 5'2½". I was disappointed, but accepted my new shorter existence and now describe myself as being 5'2". Did we subconsciously marry such tall men to compensate?

My son is over half of hubby's height already, which probably means in just a couple years, he too may be rolling his eyes as he retrieves something from a high shelf for me. :)

M.Amanda said...

I would be afraid to let them measure me. I've always gone by 5'2". I don't want to be even shorter.

I actually cried over my shortness in 8th grade. I never realized just how short I was until we were rehearsing our grade school graduation. They arranged us tallest to shortest - and I was second to last! Nooooo!

Anonymous said...

My mom used to bring my brothers birth certificate every where when we were kids. He's 4 years younger than me, but he's looked older and been taller than me since he was about 10. When I was graduating high school, someone asked me where I was going to college and then asked my brother if he had already finished. He was 14.

For the record, I'm 5'7.

L Sass said...

I tower over you at a lofty 5'4"! Even so, my sister is 5'9", my mom is 5'6" and my dad is 6', so I am always being teased as the runt.

Marmite Breath said...

I am 4'11". So suck it. You giant!

Noelle said...

I've always rounded up my height, but I didn't realize how bad it got. Last year, at the doctor's office, the nurse asked me if I knew it off hand. I said 5'9", and she said, "no, you're not." That hurt just a little, and a diagnosis of 5'5.5" was confirmed.

claire said...

I was pretty sure i am a very average 5'5", but now i don't know if i want to find out for sure. Apparently we all think we're taller than we really are. I'm probably 5'3", aren't i....

lizgwiz said...

Why do we all want to round up our heights? I'm tall, and still I always want to say 5'9", and the doctor insists I'm no more than 5'8". (And once 5'7 1/2".) Or maybe doctors just don't know how to measure accurately--god knows they don't know how to WEIGH accurately. ;)

-R- said...

I am actually ok with the weight the nurse told me, and I think it was accurate. Which is why I am worried that she was correct about my height!

Stefanie said...

I'm sorry, R, but you are, in fact, tiny. I think I could actually fit you in my pocket.

Just kidding. There is no shame in being short.

Also, Noelle? You are 5' 5.5" and you thought you were 5'9"?? Didn't a friend ever set you straight, or do your 5'9" friends say they are six-feet tall?? I do not understand this rounding-up phenomenon, but now I really want my doctor's office to measure me, to make sure I'm not as deluded as the rest of you! ;-)

Paisley said...

I am 5'3", but growing up I was always tallest until about 8th grade. Once my friend's mom asked her if I was a midget. Uh...yeah. Did I mention I hit puberty before everyone else,too?

Awesome. Great for self image!

Anonymous said...

You should know that you ALWAYS look taller than 5' 1.5" in the pictures I've seen of you. You look at least 5' 5".

Does that help? Even a little?

Abby said...

I'm 5'1" or so, and I totally hear you! But my brother made me this amazing t-shirt that compensates for the shortness. It says:

"I'm not short. I'm concentrated."

Anonymous said...

Oh, you're wee!

I have believed since high school that I'm 5'11" (and frankly, I still do, dagnab those doctors), but whenever I get measured at the doctor they try to tell me I'm 5'9 or 5'10. NOT COOL.

Liz Miller said...

You are the height I've always aspired to be. AKA taller than my sister...

Alas, I'm 4'11" and just today discovered that the only area of my body that could use some shrinkage grew. G! G! How the heck did that happen?

Anonymous said...

Short women rock (I'm 5'2" myself). We live longer!

I am sorry that you lost some height, nonetheless; I'm sure it's just temporary! Perhaps you were tense and had not stretched yourself out to your full height!

Pamela said...

I'm at least an inch shorter than I was at 18.

Anniina said...

I'm 5'5", which I guess is pretty average, but ppl always think me taller, 'cause I always wear a heel, whether it be clogs or boots - in the summer time ppl are surprised when I wear flip-flops and am my actual height. But, like the saying goes, "high heels were invented by the woman who was tired of always getting kissed on the forehead."

Michelle | Bleeding Espresso said...

Um, I had no idea so many of us were so damn short! I'm 5'2" myself, and now I'm afraid to get measured again...although here in Europe, the high number of centimeters make me feel so much taller!

Oh, and I also always thought you were at least 5'5" in blog photos.

don't call me MA'AM said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
don't call me MA'AM said...

I'm 5'3,3/4", but I always say 5'3". People tend to snicker at me when I add the extra three-quarters.

I'm the runt in my family (both compared to my siblings AND all my kids)... but I guess I'm okay with that. It's also the reason I married someone 6'4". SOMEONE has to be able to reach the high cabinets!

Here's what I say, though: If you make me weigh myself with my clothes and shoes on, then you'd better measure my height with my shoes on, too! It's only fair.

So, now I'm 5'6. Yeah. Suck on that, tall people. ;-)

(I was also the tallest in my classes until about 8th grade. Early puberty DOES bite it.)

Anonymous said...

i always thought i was 5'5" ... but then a few years ago, we measured again, and it turns out I'm only 5'3"

But I'm OK with that ... the only time it bothers me is when I buy a new pair of pants (I hate hemming)

Ok, so I guess it does suck afterall. Woe is all of us shorties.

metalia said...

This was such a timely post (for me), as I just came to the realization that I've been "embellishing" my height for so many years that I now have NO idea what it actually is. (I tell people I'm 5'3'', and I THINK I'm 5'2, but I could really be 5'1''. I have no idea. Help.)

Anonymous said...

I always used to tell people I was 5'8, until I actually measured myself. What? I was estimating.

More like 5'6-5'7. :P

Isabel said...

I'm 5'5" and am sick of having to hem all my pants.

And I'm like Boozie...my younger brother is 5 years younger but looks about 15 years older. Crazy world!