Getting Glasses is Great!
This post was inspired by the experts at Kiddie Academy who have been a leader in educational childcare for over 30 years. Kiddie Academy deals with sensitive issues, such as getting glasses or telling the truth in a unique and fun way. This is how I helped my son deal with getting glasses.
My son recently came home from school with that dreaded note, his eyesight needed to be checked. He couldn’t read the eye chart from a distance. He kept telling me he could see fine, it was just those special glasses they made him wear, that’s why he couldn’t read the chart. The poor boy was in denial. I had noticed how close he sat to the computer and the TV, but every kid does that. How many times do you tell your kids not to sit so close to the TV?
He actually had an eye checkup at our opthamologist about 16 months before and he checked out fine. But I made another appointment and we went in. Sure enough, his distance vision was so bad he couldn’t even read the big E at the top of the chart. The Doctor was able to correct his vision with his fancy machine. My son was very serious about the whole thing. He really didn’t want glasses. (I found this funny because when he was 5, when I went to get myself some new glasses, he cried for hours because he wanted this red pair so badly.) We left the office with a prescription and made plans to get his new glasses that Saturday. Even though 5 kids in his class already had glasses, he didn’t want them.
Saturday arrived and we went to get his glasses. Everyone at Lens Crafters was great with him. He was so serious the whole time. Didn’t smile once during the whole process. When we came back to pick them up, he tried them on and finally smiled! He stood up and walked around saying how clear everything was. He would lift his glasses off his eyes and say Blurry, then put them down and say Clear. He did this for a good 5 minutes. Needless to say, he loves his glasses and wears them all day. He wasn’t so worried about what his friends would say because he could see so much better, it didn’t matter.
Just to reinforce that positive feeling, I did a few things to make getting glasses great. If your child needs glasses, be sure to try these 3 fun activities:
1. Do a special activity the day your child gets glasses. We went to Lens Crafters at our local mall. While they were making his glasses, he got to go to any store he wanted and pick out a toy. We also ate at the food court at a place that he picked out. The best part of that adventure was the menu board. Before he got his glasses, he couldn’t read the menu board while standing in line. We came back after he got his glasses and he could easily see the whole thing!
2. Have a “Glasses party” at school the first day your child has his glasses. bring in cupcakes with mini glasses on top. Don’t forget the pipe cleaners so all the kids who don’t wear glasses can make a pair of their own. My making a fun event out of a nervous first day with his glasses, it made it so much easier to deal with.
3. Read a book about kids wearing glasses. There ares so many books out there that help children deal with their new glasses. Luna and the Big Blur: A Story for Children Who Wear Glasses is one of my favorites. “Luna figures it’s bad enough having a weird name but, to make matters worse, she has to wear glasses! Or maybe she doesn’t… Children will enjoy the hilarious mishaps that Luna gets into when she decides not to wear hers. They will relate to Luna’s feelings of being different, while they are also reassured that it is okay to wear glasses.”(from Amazon)
If you think about it, all the cool kids are wearing glasses these days! Harry Potter wears eye glasses and they even make a line of Harry Potter frames!
Be sure to visit the Kiddie Academy Blog for helpful information on man other parenting tips!
Disclosure: I am currently working with Kiddie Academy to get the word out about their education-based childcare. Their proprietary Life Essentials® curriculum, supporting programs, methods, activities and techniques help prepare children for life. Visit the KA Family Essentials blog for more.