Life Theme

Why is it that I seem to walk around with the same life theme? No matter how old I get people have always wanted to do "back-to-back" with me! Really, why? This is NOT fun for me at all! The fact is, the odds are really in your favor that you will be taller than me if you are much over second grade. I know how tall I am so if you just ask I can give you the measurement and we can save the whole "back-to-back" drama. Instead, my whole life people would call out "let's do back-to-back!" "oh, yeah, let's" while inside I am thinking how much clearer can it be that I am shorter than you? I look straight into your neck! I always did pick out the short girls for friends (thanks Kate!) hoping they'd maybe not notice how short I was... but inevitably they'd just be so thrilled that they finally found someone shorter, that they too would call out "back-to-back".

So, when I had children this was my time to shine! No more Crick in my neck so I could look someone in the eye. No more ridicule for shopping for shoes in the kids department. Best of all no more "back-to-back"! OR SO I THOUGHT!! Until last night when Emma got home from soccer. They had taken measurements and she was over 5" tall and the little snot says "mom back-to-back" Oh the pain of it all! Yes, my eleven year old is officially taller than me. She had outgrown my shoes some time ago (Josh laughs to himself every time I tell her to stop wearing my shoes, she's stretching them out) and my shirt sleeves are about 2" too short for her long arms (her arm span is enormous...if she grows into them she will be like 8' tall). When I shop for her pants I hold everything up to me to see if they will fit her. It was really a weired feeling to know my not even middle schooler is now looking down on me. I think it was the highlight of her life. I really wouldn't know that feeling since I've only ever been taller than much younger people and even all of them keep passing me by.

Then I realized at least I am a female. Poor little Kaidon he is 9 and the poor guy got my short gene. Yes, we held him back in Kindergarten so he is a whole year older than all of his classmates and yet he is the smallest in his class! Mihya who is 7 is already taller than him and I think she outweighs him by his whole self. People used to think they were twins but now they think she is older. He's got a sad road ahead of many "back-to-backs".

Recently we went to dinner with a couple and I found out she was my height I made some comment about never having anyone as short as me when Josh and her husband joked "how tall are you?" and come to find out they were the same height too!(6'3") I was shocked! I looked at Josh and said "I am THAT much shorter than you?" because she is tiny compared to her husband and I guess I never noticed that I am really a lot shorter than Josh until I saw them standing next to each other. Maybe because I hold more power than he does?.....or maybe because he's never asked me to do "back-to-back"!!