Why are some people taller than their parents? March 9, 2005 A middle school student from Tennessee asks: "Hey, why do some people get a lot taller than their parents? And why am I a natural athlete and my parents are totally different? My hair is kinda the same as theirs but my eyes are way different. Please explain.". Adult height is mostly determined by the information encoded in our DNA—children from tall parents tend to be taller and those from short parents are shorter, but these estimates aren't perfect.
Genes aren't the sole predictor of a person's height. In some instances, a child might be much taller than their parents and other relatives. Or, perhaps, they may be much shorter.. Height is controlled by thousands of genes, not one. Find out why your child might end up taller or shorter than both parents, and what science actually says about predicting adult height.