ABSTRACT
Ambiguities in the parenting of children whose size is discrepant with chronological age remains one of the most perplexing challenges in the upbringing of short-statured children. Inherent in such ambiguities is a tendency for the environment (i.e., parents, siblings, peers, etc.) to relate to the short-statured child according to size rather than chronological age. Not uncommonly, this leads to infantilization and lower developmental expectations than those for normal size peers (Rotnem, Cohen, Hintz, & Genel, 1979; Rotnem, Genel, Hintz, & Cohen, 1977). The extent to which this tendency interferes with achievement of age and phase-appropriate developmental tasks constitutes a major psychosocial risk of short stature (Stabler, Whitt, Moreault, D'Ercole, & Underwood, 1980). This chapter describes some of the fundamental dilemmas faced in the parenting of short-statured children. It is meant to provide health care professionals with a context in which to think about helping short-statured children and their families to develop more effective coping strategies.
