Being short in life has plenty stigmas and stereotypes, and one of the more common stereotypes, at least from what I have observed, is that short people are like innocent children and need people to watch over them in a sense. People see a short person, and for some odd reason feel like they need to somehow help them out, because they naturally have a disadvantage in life.
People typically down grade their conversations around me, so they will be G-rated, but I went to public school, so it's not like I haven't heard it before. It's not that I want people to swear at me, but if that's the way a person speaks, then I don't see why they need to censor themselves around me, just because of my height. They apologize for swearing in front of me, and act as if they had just said the same thing in front of a small child.
It's not all bad, but sometimes it can feel like you aren't being treated as an adult, because of your short stature in life, and other times it's really nice to have people watching out for you. People usually feel bad for me when they know I have had to either walk or borrow my roommates bike, so they will offer to drive me around whenever I need a ride, but as nice as that is, I actually like taking care of myself, even if that means that I have to walk all over town to get things done. It's just the way that I am. I am willing to go the distance and do whatever it takes to accomplish what I set out to do.
It's not as bad as it sounds, because I have been doing it basically my whole life. I have never owned a car, and consider it a great privilege when my mother kindly allows me to use her car to drive places when I am home for the summer. I actually enjoy walking places, because it gives me time to be by myself and think, whereas if I were to drive, or be driven, it's not as inviting for open thought, because you are either concentrating on the road, or talking with the person driving you.
I am independent, and don't usually take commands very well, so when people try to take care of me, I feel like I have to sneak around to avoid their kindness. I really do appreciate it, but I almost feel like a burden to people when they want to help me out, because they aren't responsible for me, and I don't like people to have to do things when they really don't have to.
Honestly I am not afraid of walking outside at night. I am pretty scrappy despite my small stature. My friends celebrated my last fight for weeks, because the guy was twice my size and I wasn't afraid to fight him. I am not overly violent by any means, but he definitely had it coming. He was being a complete jerk to my friend, so I punched him square in the chest, and had enough force to move him back two feet. After that incident, he wouldn't even look me in the eye, because he was fully aware that I don't mess around.
Usually I don't use violence if people are bugging me personally, but if someone treats someone I care about badly, then I am not opposed to stepping in. I don't let myself get walked all over, but I usually don't beat up the people that have wronged me.
If you are a short person, and you feel a little overprotected by the way people act around you or treat you, let them know you are not a child, even though you are around the average height of some children. You don't have to be rude about it, but just remind them that you are the same age as them despite your short stature.
If you are a tall person, or at least an average height one, and you are afraid of being nice, because you might offend someone, don't be. It's not bad to be nice and offer a helping hand to someone, but make sure they have the opportunity to do things for themselves. All people like to feel like they are in control of their lives, and that they are able to do things for themselves, so whether you are short or tall, just make sure you give everyone the opportunity to think and act for themselves.
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