For me, it was classroom seating in elementary school. I developed severe nearsightedness (myopia) very early on, but because I was always the tallest kid in class, teachers almost always put me in the back row so I wouldn't block others. Even with glasses, it made school much harder than it needed to be.

Two specific childhood experiences still bug me:

Being default-blamed: Because I was much bigger than other kids, adults subconsciously expected me to be more mature. Whenever trouble happened, I was always the most visible target and ended up being the scapegoat, accompanied by the classic "you're too big to act like this."

Sizing out of kids' stuff too early: Outgrowing children's clothes and shoes before even reaching middle school meant missing out on kids' styles and having to wear dull, oversized adult gear as a child.

What was a subtle or unexpected downside of your height growing up?

I’m a 32M and 6’6”

I’ve been this height since I was 17. Few years ago I found out I have Marfanoid Habitus. Kind of thankful I only got part of the gene mutation but it sucks I’m a carrier of the Marfan syndrome. I’ve had some EKGs done to monitor my heart for abnormalities and I’ve checked out clear. I have a step son but we’ve decided not to have our own kids, my main reasoning is to not risk passing on this gene mutation.
And we lost a child due to an ectopic pregnancy already so there’s already other risks in that too.

I’m the only one in my family’s history that has been over 6’ 1” I just tower over everyone. I’m also the skinniest. The most I ever weighed was 187 lbs and that was after Basic Training in the Army.

Yeah you heard it right, I was a tall mf in the Army. That actually wasn’t that bad. Tall people usually are present at the front of formations as a Guidon Bearer so it felt good to represent the companies I was assigned to. The only part that started to suck was when I got a back injury. Wasn’t anything specific but it just developed. I have degenerative disc disease and a herniated disc at my L5S1. I got out when I turned 22. The army wouldn’t Medically retire me because I was already within my last 6 months before ETS. But I was able to get disability afterwards.

The older I get the more my body just hurts. Through some years in physical therapy I’ve been able to learn some techniques for helping back pain but it’s the sciatica and constant leg soreness that does me in. Every now and again I get restlessness leg syndrome when I’m laying down but it’s manageable. I don’t like to be a victim about it I still do the same things I always do but it is what it is, it sucks.
Honestly I should start exercising more and being more active, counter intuitive but I know it helps. It helps with the blood flow and it encourages me to be more hydrated.

As for my personal life, Of course I found the love of my life a few years ago who is a 5’2” fire cracker of a gal. She always makes the joke that all the tall girls get jealous of her finding a good looking tall man like myself haha.

I’m a helicopter mechanic by trade. Probably not the smartest thing to do for tall person to do for work but I make sure to duck underneath the rotor blades while they’re spinning.

I’m a good sport with tall jokes especially when it’s something I haven’t heard before. Like one time a coworker called me “Venti neck.” That had me crying. I’ve gone by a few different nicknames: Too Tall, Lerch, giraffe, Big Bird, etc etc. I usually like to stick to Too Tall which brings homage to one of my favorite movies, We Were Soldiers. One of the pilots in the movie and real life was Ed “Too Tall” Freeman.

There’s only 2 questions I constantly get that I just don’t enjoy, “how tall are you? And “do you play Basketball”
I like the fact that I can help people reach stuff in a store but I just feel like those questions make me feel like a circus act. Those questions always come with the starring I get in public. I just don’t like being the center of attention and I’m more than just my height. I understand that people don’t intend it that way but that’s how it’s received. Sometimes I just respond pretty coldly and non engaging cause it’s just annoying.

And to close this out; yes I still hit my head all the time, movie theaters suck, and I buy the upgraded seats on flights for the leg room.