Growth Spurt

I had to get a physical before basketball tryouts in 7th grade. It was a mandatory rule by the school that you had to pass a physical in order to play sports. The doc didn't find anything unusual, although it was my first turn-and-cough experience. He took my bp, looked in my ears, listened to something in my back with his stethoscope, tapped my knees for reflex, and looked in my mouth with a popsicle stick. It was as normal and routine as any visit.


This visit stands out though. Here's why. After everything was done, we had some Q&A. I don't remember how we got on this topic, but he said, "Yeah, it looks like you're going to grow slower than the rest of your friends. You may be smaller than most of them for a while." While I thought about all my buddies being taller than me playing basketball and being disappointed, I responded with a short, "Ok." And then a shy smile. 


There is no worse news for a 13 year old than to be told he will be the subject of short jokes for the next few years. As if middle school hadn't started hard enough for a shy guy, now I gotta deal with a delayed growth spurt. That'll be perfect for our trip to Six Flags at the end of the year and I'll be the only one not tall enough to ride all the rides. Nothing says confidence like being shorter than all the guys and girls in your grade. 
"Can you fit a person in these lockers?" 
"I don't know, let's see if Matt can fit in there." 
"Oh wow that does work!"
"Bell rang. Let's get to class."


"Umm....guys?"


Don't feel sorry though. I've become a fine, well-adjusted (claustrophobic) young man. 
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Every day I get home from work, it seems like our baby has grown so much. Almost like he's a bigger version of the him I left a few hours prior. I leave him as a baby, and I return to a...bigger baby. He's put on a few inches in the 2 months he's been here. His mom gets sad when she notices how fast he grows. She sees it too. He's never going to be a newborn again. When is he going to be too big to stop falling asleep on her chest. When will he grow out of grabbing my fingers while feeding him? You never get that stuff back. I think that thought is the hardest to deal with.



There is good news through all this sadness. At this rate, he should be about 8'3'' by 7th grade. No chance of him fitting in a locker then. He'll be a starter on the hoops team too.