Will I grow up to be short like my mother or tall like my father?

Your adult height will probably be somewhere in between.

Some rough estimates can be made based on the growth patterns of many children. These methods assume that there is no disease or hormonal problem to hinder your genetic potential.

Because height at the age of 3 is about 60 percent of adult height for girls and 55 percent of adult height for boys, two times your height as a 2-year-old will be roughly your adult height.

Another rule of thumb uses your parents’ heights. Add them, divide by two, then add three inches for a boy or subtract three inches for a girl. The result is said to be correct within two inches about 95 percent of the time.

Most often, however, doctors refer to standard growth charts. Your current height and age give an indication of where you fall relative to the average for children of your age and sex. Because you tend to stay in those same rankings as you grow, you can estimate your eventual height.

X rays of the gaps, or epiphyses, between the ends of your bones do not predict eventual height but could determine if there is a condition that would prevent further growth.

As you grow, the gaps shrink. When you complete puberty, the bones are fused, and no more growth takes place.