<p>^ very smart, OP.</p>
<p>You may grow some until you are 21- not more than an inch most likely. You have short parents, you are unlikely to be taller than the average height for men of my generation- 5’9". You are already much taller than my H, Indian and under 5’5", plenty of respect in his work. He used to tell people he came here on a basketball scholarship…</p>
<p>Attitude means everything. My H has no problem with his height- he much shorter than I am (I am tall) but it doesn’t matter to either of us. I know other men who are in your height range or inches shorter for whom it doesn’t matter. Stand tall and project a confident self. Do not draw attention to your height with jokes about it, if others comment respond with an appropriate quip or ignore it. Friends and you can have fun with each other’s physical differences, it is okay to have running jokes with them. Don’t let your height stand in the way of dating tall women- personality and compatibility count a lot more. Once you ignore your height it won’t be an issue for you.</p>
<p>You did not say If you were a boy or a girl. But I’m just going to assume you’re a boy…</p>
<p>I had a job in tv journalism where all the big management types were under 5’8". We used to laughingly call it the short-white-boys-club. One day, a candidate for a management position came in for an interview - a black man probably 6’5" in height. We thought, he’ll never get it, it’s not allowed! Well he did get the job, worked there two years before moving on to bigger and better things. Naturally, his replacement was white, and about 5’5 in elevator shoes. </p>
<p>PS. These were all very, very successful people. High profile jobs, high salaries. Don’t let anyone feed you the nonsense about size=success. It just ain’t so.</p>
<p>When do adolescent boys generally start/stop growing?</p>
<p>Two of my friends in high school were on hgh because of their height but they were right around the 5 foot mark. I’m only 5’4" and I hate being short. Well I hate it enough to do the human growth hormone if I could go back and do it over again but not enough to get the leg lengthening surgery! I saw that on one of those on tv and it looks scary! So check out your options and decide what it’s worth to you.</p>
<p>I’m almost sure my S2 continued to grow well into his freshman yr. of college. Now, a senior, he’s 6’. In h.s. he was 5’10"</p>
<p>Good things come in small packages.</p>
<p>Face it, you’re unlikely to grow much taller than your parents. However, late growth spurts do happen. I had a neighbor growing up who was about 5-9 in high school. If I recall, he didn’t even make the high school basketball team. He grew almost a foot after high school, made his college team as a sophomore walk-on (a major univ), made All-Big Ten, and played in the NBA.</p>
<p>OP, I have 3 sons, all of whom range in height from 5’5"-5’7". Their Dad “thinks” he is 5’7" (he’s definitely shorter) and their mom (me) is now shorter than 5’3". Our kids weren’t destined to be any taller than that. It’s called genetics. One of them stands up very straight and tall, and just gives a taller appearance. The other two slump a bit so they seem short. However, I believe based on what they have done so far (all are in college or grad school) that they will be very successful in their chosen fields. Focus on what you think are your good points and stop worrying about things you can’t control!</p>
<p>My son is 13 and is now 5’4 1/2. I’m 4’11 and his dad is 5’10, which would theoretically put him at about 5’8. However, the boy looks and is built exactly like my brothers. Husband is stocky with long body and short legs, but my brothers are over six feet tall and both have ridiculously long legs. My son is just that way, so based on the calculators relating to his own growth curve, he would likely be just under 6’, I’m obviously not sure how it will turn out, but in his case, all you have to do is look at him and see he is not splitting the difference between hubby and me.</p>
<p>My husband’s nephew topped out at around 5’2 with a very delicate build. He has been arrested several times for serious offenses and I’m convinced that at least some of his problems stem from his uncontrolled rage about his size. We always thought his parents should have had him assessed or receive therapy (his parents aren’t particularly short, like 5’6 for mom and 5’8 for dad), but they didn’t and he was teased mercilessly all his life. So I do think this can be a serious issue.</p>
<p>There are some sports where height is a big disadvantage: gymnastics, cross country & track. </p>
<p>In HS, 5’6" is fine for swimming - it probably won’t lead to college scholarships, however at 17, you are probably too late to get up to the level of kids that have been swimming with a club since they were younger.</p>
<p>PS - Mike Bloomburg is around 5’6" and he’s done OK for himself…</p>
<p>yes, zooser, a friend of mine(shorter than ave) has explained to me what he calls the “little man syndrome”. He says it’s common, and describes it that guys shorter than average are often more aggressive, to the point of actually starting trouble because they feel they have to overcompensate to prove they are no less than an average size guy. He explained it often led to trouble, and those affected usually prove a couple of things:
- A smaller guy can be just as tough, and that
- that guy is also an a$$hole,
in my friend’s words.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I think I’ve also heard it referred to as the “Napoleon complex.”</p>
<p>I think in this boy’s case, something isn’t right with him and the parents should have done something. But they joined in the teasing, thinking he would eventually shoot up. He didn’t. Sad.</p>
<p>Boys/men will have reached their final height by age 21, with very little, if any, growth the few years before that. </p>
<p>Have confidence in yourself as a person so you don’t fall into the Napolean complex. Now is the time to stand tall and not try to prove yourself because you are shorter than average. You sound tall enough to be able to find and wear men’s sizes- something my very slender H has trouble with (he didn’t grow up here and sometimes says the S stands for short, not small- XS is rarely available and the kid’s selections not the same). It is easy for me to forget my H’s height, others will forget your height if you do.</p>
<p>You hear about tall Texans, right?</p>
<p>Google — Texans H. Ross Perot and T. Boone Pickins. They are tall in the pocket book, but otherwise --I’d say, in his younger years, Perot might have been 5" 7". </p>
<p>They list Pickins at 5’ 9" in some articles, but his office is on the next floor from me and I think that is generous.</p>
<p>Men often are taller when they stand on their wallets. ;)</p>
<p>Or stand on their accomplishments?
Or stand with integrity?
Or stand up for women?
Or stoop to help a child?</p>
<p>True fact: Napoleon wasn’t even particularly short for his era; he was at least 5’ 6" or 7". “Little Corporal” was a term of affection, not a reference to his size. (The myth that he was tiny arose from confusion over translating French into British measurements.)</p>
<p>My son, at 21, is only 5’ 2", and stopped growing a long time ago. It’s definitely not easy to be a guy who’s that short – as just one example, buying clothes that fit can be difficult, but it’s a lot easier now, with the Internet as a resource, than it would have been 20 years ago – but he’s accepted it by now and it hasn’t really gotten in his way. (I used to be in the bottom few percent in terms of height myself, but I’m almost average now. It was a miracle!)</p>
<p>My kids’ orthodontist is 5 feet tall… very handsome, always elegantly dressed. He is warm, confident, married with 2 darling kids. He has cornered the market in our town and runs a very, very successful practice. He also teaches courses and is well regarded. It is all about attitude.</p>
<p>My husband is 5’8" (on a good day) and chose a short woman (me-5’3") to be his wife. We have two sons over 6 feet tall with long, long legs… so you never know how the genes are going to turn out. </p>
<p>As all the posters have stated… your height is beyond your control. Take care with your health, groom yourself, dress in clothes that flatter you, be a nice yet assertive man and you can do whatever you want!</p>