How skinny is too skinny?

Recently on Facebook, I came across the status of someone who I keep on my friends list for the sheer entertainment value that their page provides. (Admit it, you do it too.) Anyhow, I came across this particular gem the other day...

Back into 4's! Soon 2's and hopefully 0's again, crossin' fingers.

That's me in the car, maybe at 3?

For those not following, this "friend" (a term I'm using quite loosely here) is discussing jean sizes. Of course, I had to formulate some sort of comment. Those of you who know me in real life know that I've always been pretty small for my age. What you may not know is that for a while, being small was also a downfall of sorts. I think my comment explains it best.

After spending grades 6-11 in size 00 and 0 jeans due to being small for my age, I can say I'm actually happy to be in jeans between the sizes of 5 and 9. Why? Because it means that my (former) doctor won't falsely accuse my parents of not feeding me, nor will I be falsely accused of starving myself. Just be who you are, forget society's standards of so-called perfection.

Oh, yes, readers. I went there. And yes, you read that correctly. The first time I ever went to my endocrinologist (growth doctor), she said there were two reasons that I'm small...the first of which, in her "expert" opinion, was probably why:

1. I'm malnourished. [I love food, by the way. My mom and I scoffed at this guess.]
2. I'm just small and she has no idea why.

On my 21st in NYC.

As it turns out (after bone density scan after scan, blood test after test, and a slue of other random hospital visits for more tests), I'm just short! And they have no idea why. She wanted to put me on growth hormones. I said no.

My genes are all sorts of crazy. I'm 5'2", but my brother's 6'2" (and four years younger). My grandma's my height, but my grandpa's 6'4". And I have cousins who are short and some who are tall. In fact, my great-grandmas on both sides were tall ladies, but my Aunt Margie was my height when she passed away. Go figure that one out.

For those curious how small I was (now that I'm actually a "normal" height)... I was 60 pounds and 4'11" in my freshman year of high school. I was 100 pounds and 5'1" my freshman year of college. And the friend whose status I commented on? Deleted me off of Facebook. Admittedly, I'll miss the entertainment...

(I won't even get into how many times people have thought I was younger than I am and how much it irritated me to be treated like a child, from dress shopping to having a cashier count out my change and tell me that two five dollar bills equals one ten dollar bill)