The Garage Spark
Was cleaning my garage this morning, tripped over my old tape measure. Got me thinking – my son keeps asking if he’s “tall enough” for the rollercoaster sign downtown. Thing says 74 inches minimum. What even IS that compared to actual kids? Like, visually?
Grab & Measure Chaos
Grabbed the tape, yelled for my 8-year-old to come over. Little dude was mid-video game, grumpy. Made him stand against the wall barefoot. Taped a cereal box on his head to mark it flat – total parenting hack, right? Measured him: 53.5 inches. Then my 11-year-old daughter stomped in demanding her turn. Rolled eyes, measured her too: 60 inches on the dot.
The “Whoa” Realization
Did the math in my head: 74 inches is six foot two. Stuck the tape at 74″ on the wall – way above my head! I’m 5’10”! My daughter started jumping trying to touch it. Took the milk crate I stood on when painting last week – it’s 12 inches tall – and put it down. Made my son stand on it next to the 74″ mark. His head barely cleared my shoulder! Like, wayyy shorter. My daughter stood on it too – still over half a foot short.
Quick Dirty Height Guide
So here’s the rough cheat sheet I scribbled on a pizza box later:
- Toddler (4 years): Around 40 inches. Like a big countertop.
- Young kid (8 years): 50-55 inches. Fridge handle height.
- Tween (11-12 years): 58-62 inches. Bathroom door lock.
- Teen (14+ average): 65-68 inches. Showerhead territory.
- 74 Inches?!: NBA vibes. Grown adult tall. My kid needs like three milk crates stacked to fake it.
Takeaway
Never realized how tall 74″ actually looks beside real kids till I tape-measured the chaos myself. That rollercoaster ain’t happening till college.
