We just went through genetic testing - again for my 13 year old daughter - who is very petite- she is only 4'7" - the bone growth study show at mature height she will only be 4'8" - she is not able to receive any type of growth hormones - because there is nothing medically wrong with her. My heart is breaking knowing how tiny she will be for the rest of her life - I just always assumed she would make it to 5' - like many of my husbands female relatives. It brings tears to my eyes wondering how hard all the grown up things in her life will be. Are any of you - or any friends or relatives very petite ladies?

My oldest daughter is barely hitting 5'1. But her big mouth makes up for what she lacks in height. She has tons of friends, graduates from Nursing School in June and is getting married to a great guy next year. I realize she's not as height challenged as your daughter, but look on the bright side, as long as her health is good-why worry about how tall she is..small people have great lives too!

I'm 5 ft.... actually 4 ft & 11 1/2 inches.. My Dh is 6 ft & 1 inch...I really never got tease or anything..Guys joke around by resting their arm on my head but they were all my friends...I think a lot of guys like petiite woman.I never had any dating problems in school & had plenty of friends.. My nick name was little bit..I actually found the nick name cute..I knew 2 people in school that was shorter than me..Both were girls and they didn't have any dating problems also had plenty of friends.

I would try not to worry so much. You always have" HOPE"....I don't know how accurate genetic testing is... but I believe Doctors are not always right....My sister who was terminal ill her doctors who were "specialtist "they gave her a time frame of how much time she had.. She proved the doctors wrong every single time..They finally gave up guessing..I know this not related to your DD but I just wanted to give you alittle bit of "Hope"

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Angels may not come when you call them, but they'll always be there when you need them.

I think this would be worse if it was a boy. Girls are cute when petite and also if she wants to wear a 4 or 5 inch heel on her shoe no problem which a man really can't do. I am 5'5 but when I was younger actually wished I was shorter because the boys always seemed to like the little petite girls.

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Without Health you have no Wealth!

Try an appointment with a trusted endocrinologist. He may differ on the use of growth hormones.

I think it is all going to be about attitude. There won't be many guys out there shorter than her so she will have tons of dates. Boys will think she is adorable. If she is a cheerleader, she will be able to be a flyer and be on top of the pyramids. Anything set up by height, she will be at the first or in the front. She can be 4'8" but have an attitude that says "I am six feet tall!" And, sure, there will be times she wishes she were taller. Just like people wish they were smarter, blonder, richer, had better eyesight, had better teeth, on and on.

But Connie, I understand your despair. Wanting your daughter to have the easiest life possible but knowing her height will present challenges. But don't let her know you are upset. We all face challenges and this will be hers.

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Raising my baby RIGHT!!!!!!

All the cool babies are wearing cloth!

I'm 28 and only 4'11. I don't mind. I have never given it much thought. My soon-to-be ex-husband is 5'11 and it has never been a problem. I believe its not how big you are its how you present yourself that matters. Don't worry that will only cause concern for her. Her inner strength shall overcome her size. God bless.

I am 4'10 and my whole family is short. Yes being short is a disadvantage but it is not the end of the world. Clothes shopping is a pain and cars are designed for larger people but good things come in small packages.

My niece has pituitary dwarfism and was given growth hormone shots from age 4 through 14 which gave her several extra inches she is now about 5 foot. I am not sure if giving them to your daughter at age 13 will help much. My son was told by an orthopedist that his "bone age" he would grow another 2 inches- well 4 inches since he hasn't stopped yet.

If she has been seen by an endocrinologist who says she is HEALTHY remember that is all that matters- she is healthy, you love her, and she is just your petite angel.

Good Luck, Bonnie

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All you can do is All you can do-- But All you can do is enough!!!

I am 5'7" and in high school I would have given anything to be your daughters size. I always thought that shorter girls were cuter, perkier, peppier, more popluar and I know this is silly but this is true I envyed them so much becasue in my Economics class this girl would sit there and swing her leg becasue she could not touch the floor!! It is something that I would jsut sit and brood over. I would fold up my long leg, sit on my foot so that I could kind of swing it.
Even today at my daughters school the smaller girls are the ones that seem to be "it" girls.

There was a song in Sunday School that went along with the verse and my class always enjoyed singing it and every once in awhile it pops in my mind (usually when I need it) "I am wonderfully made (clap clap) I am wonderfully made (clap clap) I am, I am, I am, I am, I am wonderfully made (clap clap).

Also, she may prove all of these tests wrong.

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4'10 and 46 yrs old. not a big deal to me. have been mistaken for a kid many times.
life is what you make it and i have no problem with being shorter than my 12 yr old neice.

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My MIL is 4'10 and one of my close friends is 5'0, the only thing small about these women is their height. They are bold and confident and their husband's love them. I would not worry about it. She will be fine.

My MIL is also 4'10 and has had a wonderful fulfilling life. I hardly even notice her height. On the other hand, I am 5'10 and was ALWAYS self conscious about being bigger than alot of men and could never wear heals for fear of being an amazon. I always wished I were shorter! I am sure she will do just fine.

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Jill
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Mom to Joey (8) and Gianna (6)

I am a short person also. I was 4'8" when I met my husband and he had no issue with my height. Beleive it or not I grew 2 inches during my pregnancy's. I am now officially 4'10".
Please whatever you do, do not show your daughter that you are upset about this issue. You see when I was younger my mom used to make remarks about my height and it always bothered me. I felt that there must be something wrong with me.
Well you see later on in my teen years I found out that my father's grandmother was only 4'8"! When I found that out I was very proud to walk in my greatgrandmothers steps. I heard that she was a very proud, outspoken women who people listened to when she spoke.
Just let your daughter know that she is loved no matter how tall she may or may not be.
My oldest daughter is 4'10" also and I always told her that her height is what you make of it. You can do or be anything you want to be in this life, its just a matter of attitude not height!

I don't understand the where the saddness comes in. Your daughter is HEALTHY! I am 4'11", have been since I was 12! I was always the shortest and truthfully I loved it because I got all the attention being so short and cute! The only problem I have being short is trying to reach things in the high selves at the stores. Otherwise I am very happy and never had a problem with my height or lack of.
Be happy your daughter is healthy, I know someone going through growth hormone shots ( male) and he is having a hard time giving himself shots and it is alot of work.
If your daughter doesn't have a problem being short then neither should you.
Good luck.
acidreignn

Most all my aunts are barely 4 feet tall and they are pretty darn old. My dad side of family is short and my mom side of family has heighth so I got lucky and made it to 5'4". There are just as many advantages to being short as their are disadvantages to being tall. As long as she takes care of her bones she will be fine.

I agree about attitude. My mom was only 4 foot 11 and her short stature did not stop her. In fact it became a family joke that you were not grown up until you passed Grandma. And it was always fun to see the big guys (6 foot and +) bend over to hug her.

Yes life will be a little harder but know what get a step stool and she'll be able to go anywhere.

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I am short (5'3") and DH is 6'4". My aunts are about 4'8" and NEVER had any issues. Men LOVE short women! There are perks to being tiny just like perks to being tall. I don't think there is anything to be sad about but I understand that at her age, it can be hard to adjust too (especially if she has tall friends).

Don't worry about it. All will be fine

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Please don't project your sadness to your daughter. There is nothing wrong with being short - somebody has to be the shortest, and better to be someone who has confidence. Like several others here, I'm 4'11" and live with this every day. My 11 YO duaghter is now the same height as me, but still undesrstands that I have the authority over her.

Just as their are advantages to being tall, and disadvantages, there are both for being short as well. Yes, it's harder to reach the top shelf in the pantry without a stepstool. Yes, it's hard to reach the stuff at the bottom of the chest freezer. But I don't have to bend as far to clean up after the kids, and can sometimes find really nice clothing in the Junior department as well as petites. Some stores even carry "petite-short" clothing, which is the perfect length (somewhere along the line the petite designation got taller).

In high school, if she keeps her weight reasonable, her boyfrends will be able to give her piggy-back rides far longer than the other girls. If a costume for the school play doesn't fit, it's far easier to cut it down than add material to make it fit.

It's all about attitude. If you give your daughter the impression that there is something wrong with being short, she will think there is something wrong with her. Once she gets that message, and projects it herself, others will only reinforce it.

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Mom to Kimberly (6/95), Rebecca (4/98) and Gwendolyn (2/02)

Thank you everyone for your heartfelt comments! Believe me - I haven't said anything to her - I shared with her that the doctor said that she would grow about another inch maybe a little more. She is a sophomore ( yep skipped two grades). It was funny to read about the cheerleading flyer - she already is - she is the captain of her JV cheer squad- and wants to be a bililingual pediatrician. It makes me happy to her that others have know people that were this tiny and went on to accomplish every thing they wanted to.

I don't understand what the big deal is. As long as she is healthy and has a good personality and attitude that is all that matters. There is a girl that goes to my daughter's school and she is petite all over because she has a disease and she most likely will remain that way. This girl has the smallest frame I have ever seen but you know what? The girl has LOTS of friends. Nobody thinks anything diffrent.

I am the shortest person in my family. There are worse things out there.

I'm 5'3" and I find being short doesn't bother me all that much. I have a reasonably tall husband (5'10") who I happily lend out to other short people at grocery stores etc to reach things. If I have to, I batt my eyelashes at some stranger and get them to reach whatever I need. And, on the plus side, whenever I have a window seat on a long plane ride I can stand up fully long before everyone else can. Boy do I get some envious looks then.

I've taken to wearing sketchers shoes because they have these nice clunky soles that add about 1-2 inches to my height, but I refuse to wear heels. If anything I get far more stupid comments and stares over my weight then my height. People are not exactly expecting a confident queen sized "petite" woman. If anything I have more issues finding clothing because I'm large then I do because I'm short.

Having said that, take the above posters advice and check out a endrocinologist. You may find they have much different views about if hormones will work etc then your current doctor does. But, if they don't, or you don't want to, or it doesn't - don't worry. While there are disadvantages, they can be overcome with a sense of humor, some confidence, and a few tools to make things easier.

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I aspire to be 5'3"......LOL! I'm 4'11 (and 1/2) and to be honest, I've always been petite but never really knew how short I really was until I was an adult. No one ever made me feel "different"

As the other posters have said, try to keep the fact that you are concerned about her height to yourselves. She'll not feel inferior or out of place unless someone keeps reminding her. The fact that she is already 13 and probably has already gone through or is going through puberty pretty much rules out growth hormone.

I have 3 kids including a set of boy/girl twins. One (my son) was diagnosed as having a growth hormone defficiency at about age 7 but his twin sister was not. He was put on GH therapy until about a year ago (they are now 16) and he is pretty much at his full height of 5'6" and his sister is about my height of 5'. Both of them are probably the shortest of their peers, but to be honest, it doesn't really come up.

My oldest dd is the tall one of the family at 5'3".

I guess my point is, go with the flow....she may hit a growth spurt and surprise everyone!

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