Why is a girl short at age 12 but much taller as an adult?

[Anonymous]

My friend whom I've just reunited with weeks ago after not seeing her for the longest (since 6th grade) grew to be 5'8. She's now an inch taller than me.

She was only 5ft at age 12. How did she added 8 inches? She used to be shorter as a kid.

Updates

6 mo

She stopped growing at age 18.

Updates

6 mo

I used to be a lot taller than her when we were kids.

[FunkyMonkee]

The same reason boys are!
Some of my friends were taller than me, too but, after high school, I kept growing! I graduated at 6' 1" and stopped growing around 21 or so at `6' 9"!

[Asker]

Yeah girls can grow too after all.

[FunkyMonkee]

They sure can!! I saw one a year ago that TOWERED over me!! She was in her early 20's and was at least 8' tall!!
I'm as tall as this guy and this is how much trouble I sometimes have in normal peoples' houses!! I can just IMAGINE how much trouble she has!! Especially the end of it!
www.youtube.com/watch

[jahaims]

Children grow... obviously

[Asker]

But it's more rare for a girl than a boy to have a growth spurt like that after age 12.