Height Forum

I've always been fascinated by the phenomenon of younger sisters outgrowing their older sisters. And I'm not talking about a difference of a few inches. I'm talking about a dramatic height difference. For example:

I know a pair of sisters. Kaitlyn, the younger, is 21. She's 5'10'' and kinda big-sized. Not fat, just bigger and voluptuous, maybe 180-190 lbs. She's tall, so she carries it well. Her older sister Emily is 24. Emily is 5'0'' and 95 lbs. She's tiny. She barely comes up to her little sister's shoulder and is probably half her weight. Her little arms and legs look like toothpicks next to her younger sister's hefty limbs. Kaitlyn is so much bigger than Emily in every dimension that when they stand together, they look more like mother and child than younger sister and older sister.

I know another pair of sisters like this, though the height difference is not so dramatic. Becky is 20, she's 5'2'' and smaller-sized. Her sister Rachel is 18, 5'7'' and, though slender, obviously weighs a bit more.

Does anyone else have stories like this? When the height difference is that dramatic, it stands to reason that the younger sister overtakes the older sister at a fairly young age. Does it create any discomfort or awkwardness? Does it in any way change the older sister/younger sister dynamic? For example, Rachel picks Becky up a lot, puts her on her lap, and once, when they were getting ready to slide down the hill on a sled, Rachel, who is bigger, was sitting on the back. Becky was in front, leaning back against her little sister, who had her arms protectively around her.

I've never seen Kaitlyn pick up Emily, though I'm sure she could do it with one arm...

Anyone have any experiences like these?

Can't say I have Corey. Drawing from memories of relatives to friends, most sisters are similar in size. In fact, most brothers are as well. They are, after all, siblings. They are the closest things to genetic copies besides identical twins.

With that said, genetics is like a deck of cards. Proper shuffling may reduce the chances of someone getting a ridiculous (either good or bad) hand, but it's not guaranteed. There will also be someone in your family that is much taller, shorter, smarter, or whatever than the rest.

Another thing that might contribute to the pattern that you're seeing. For example, if the parents were going through hardship such as economic recession or experienced stress, it could have affect the first-born's prenatal and postnatal development. The stress of having the first baby could also have been a contributing factor.

What I'm trying to say is that although apples don't fall far from the tree, there are still many things that could affect how they land. However, if you lock up a pair of lab rats in a perfectly-controlled environment, and the younger baby rats are always bigger than their older siblings, then you might be on to something.