by Debbie Gillotti

Created on: January 30, 2009

A tiny woman stands in the hardware aisle in a local home improvement store. She hears a small girl calling to someone a short distance away. "Hey lady". A few moments later, another call. "Hey lady." The tiny woman looks around and realizes that she is the only other person in the aisle, so she focuses on the small child. Their eyes meet as the little girl comes closer. "How come you're so small?" she blurts out boldly. The tiny woman who is barely four foot seven, now feels even smaller next to the six year old girl who is nearly her size. The woman has been through similar scenarios before, since she has always been shorter than most people her age. She chuckles and responds in a friendly manner that some people just don't grow as tall as others.

The inquisitive child ponders the answer, then continues with her interrogation. "Do you have kids, are they taller than you, how tall are your mother and father, etc." The tiny woman is a bit surprised because for the most part, she usually only receives stares or a brief remark from some teenager calling her "shorty" or something similar. The woman is amused and at the same time wondering where the girls mother is, but she calmly goes on to explain the minor details of her family history. The little girl hangs on her every word. A moment later, the mother returns and the little girl is so excited that she begins tugging on her mommy's arm and shouts "Look mommy, it's a little lady." Needless to say, the girls mother is totally embarrassed by her daughters behavior and she emphatically apologizes to the tiny woman. She is so embarrassed that she tugs on the girls hand and begins to pull her away.

The tiny woman finds the actions of the mother even more comical, acting like her daughter was questioning a two headed person. She lets the mother know that although she was surprised by the little girls questioning, she was in no way offended by her need to ask. Children are curious by nature, she explained and if the adult does not mind offering an answer, it should be welcomed.

That tiny woman is me. I have not grown one single inch since the seventh grade. I am now in my early fifties. I have always been more petite than any of my friends. For the most part, people have just accepted me as I am. I will admit that when I was a teenager, there were sometimes rude comments from boys and girls. I did feel a bit self conscious as I heard them laughing as I would walk by but it was never enough to make an issue out of it or

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