STRESS is the answer!!!
Did you know that when you are stressed your body produces a hormone called cortisol. In the short term, cortisol doesn't do any major harm to your body but if you are constantly exposed to it, it can cause physiological changes.
One of the effects of long term cortisol exposure is GROWTH INHIBITION!!
Here is my little train of thought:
Exams = Stress = Cortisol released = Growth inhibition = Being a short-assed humanMake sense no?
I know I am probably spewing ridiculously wrong information as usual but it must be linked somehow. Throughout my childhood, ever since starting primary school, I have been plagued with exams non stop. I grew up in Singapore - which is this little country in South-East Asia (Never heard of it? You have to visit it! Its amazing!!!) - where school dominated most children's lives. Those of you who are Asian (or brought up in Asia) you will know how competitive school is and how stressful it was on us kids. You are talking about a country where parents complain if teachers aren't giving enough homework and if their children are not being tested enough. Somehow a good teacher is one who hands out homework on a regular basis. I am not joking by the way. I have this vague memory of someone mentioning that someone's parents' phoned school demanding that teachers gave their children more homework. Tell me why I didn't get enough growth hormone to make me tall so I could pursue my fate as a model on the French runways.
On top of homework, we got exams too. In my first 2 years of primary school, I had 4 exams each year (CA1, CA2, SA1, SA2). Not tests. Exams. CA1 and CA2 was after the 1st and 3rd term respectively and SA1 and SA2 after each semester (1 semester = 2 terms). We are talking about when I was 6/7 here. Afterwards the government decided that having 4 exams a year was too stressing on our little minds so they decided to cut the CAs and stick with 2 a year!! Hurray!! >.> That was still 2 too many if you ask me. Yes we had 2 exams each year but we still had countless tests in between and with the parents harping that "so and so got this many marks, why can't you do better??" it's a miracle that I even grew taller at all haha
Personally I don't understand why there is a need to give us so many exams when we are kids (maybe some of my Asian counterparts beg to differ?) because childhood is a time to have fun and explore, not finish school at 1. Have maths tuition from 3-5, english tuition from 5-7, piano lessons from 8-9 etc etc. Childhood is supposed to be one of the best times in life, how can it be if it is clogged up with all this junk about needing to get better grades and top the class or the year?? I am not saying grades aren't important because in society today, that piece of paper means everything. But it's not just IQ, but EQ as well. There are many university graduates nowadays who have amazing qualifications yet their one weakness is that they are unable to think out of the box because they spend all their time studying and have no time or interests for extracurricular activities which can not only be relaxing, but expand your social circle and even teach you something new.
So yes, that's why I'm short.
Ps.. my fussy eating habits might have contributed slightly too :P
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