Nov 2, 2014 3 min read

Q. I am a 14-year-old high school freshman who is depressed about my future. As a result of my premature birth, I have a heart defect and lung problems and am very small for my age. Recently, my family went to a local park. It was humid, and I was so worn out that my older brother let me ride on his back. Some classmates saw me and thought it was funny, so now all the kids at school have nicknamed me “Baby.”

But what really depresses me is the thought that I’m always going to be smaller than my peers. My doctor estimates I probably won’t grow taller than 5-foot-1. I want to be a normal teenager. I want a girlfriend and to have fun hanging out with my friends.

Our school is having a freshman dance. I want to take a date, but every girl I have asked has turned me down, and some have even laughed at me. One female friend told me girls think I’m cute, but they’d be embarrassed to be seen with me.

I am scared this is how things are always going to be for me. I don’t want to live a lonely life. I want to have kids someday. I have had fleeting thoughts of suicide, but I would never do that to my family. Any advice on how I can make myself taller so girls will stop seeing me as a little kid? – Too Small

A. We won’t lie to you. It is more difficult for men of small stature to attract women, but it isn’t impossible. First, you have to meet girls who are more mature than 14-year-olds who are overly concerned with appearances. You’ll have better luck out of high school. In the meantime, develop your personality so you are attractive to someone who is interested in a kind, decent, intelligent guy with a good sense of humor, no matter how tall he is. And for inspiration, consider all the male celebrities who are not exactly towering over you – guys like Prince, Jon Stewart, Tom Cruise, Martin Scorsese, Kevin Hart, Ringo Starr, Dustin Hoffman, George Stephanopoulos, and Paul Simon. Their height didn’t stop them.

Dear Annie: I disagree with your advice to “Unhappy Neighbor,” who did not want to confront a volatile neighbor about trimming the tree that reached over his property line. He shouldn’t have to pay any legal costs. “Unhappy” should check with his local municipality to ensure he’s entitled to cut any branches over his property line, and then advise the neighbor in writing of his intention to trim the branches and when he will do the work. – Pennsylvania Constable

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