Young Eyes

I was sitting in the chair at the doctor's office waiting for the eye exam to begin. I have to go every year so that I can get my contact lens prescription renewed. I thought I would also get some new glasses this year since I haven't gotten any in a while. 

I saw a new doctor this time and she came in and introduced herself to me. She was very friendly and knowledgable and I really liked her a lot. She checked my vision and then told me that my prescription stayed the same again. I told her that I didn't think my eyes had changed in a while. She looked at my chart and said that this was 5 years in a row that my eyes haven't changed. She looked at my age on my chart and said " You have young eyes". 

I went out into the frames area and proceeded to pick out my first pair of new frames in 5 years. I may have been a little too excited but a new pair of glasses is a new look! I got a pair that looks a little "nerdy" as my son said to me but they are what's in style now and what I liked. 

Fast forward a couple of months and my son is in the chair waiting to get an eye exam. He is eight years old and has always passed the vision test at his annual exam with flying colors. This year, he couldn't read the lines and it was noticeable that one eye was worse than the other. As a parent who wears glasses and wore them as a child, I knew this was probably inevitable, but I wasn't sure it would be this soon. 

He sat in the chair and read what he could. The doctor was very nice and explained all of the different things he was doing. At the end, he said that we could go pick out some frames. I don't think it quite registered with my son so I told him that he would have to get glasses. He yelled "No!" loudly. 

He stomped out of the room and into the waiting area where he proceeded to pout with his arms crossed. As a parent, you know what they are thinking - especially if you have been there before yourself. I knew he was thinking he would get made fun of and laughed at because that's what they did to me. Kids are mean. But you know what? It's not the end of the world and life will go on. (See my post about The Awkward Years and you will see that I've done just fine for myself). 

He shed a few tears and continued to be disenchanted with the whole idea. Kids are nerds who wear glasses! He said. I told him he was so fortunate to have all of the choices that he has today- remember how I looked in the fourth grade with glasses? He laughed. He knows I looked funny. 

We went over to the desk where the girl helped him pick out frames. At first, he wouldn't even look into  the mirror. I told him to look at me instead and I would help him. Slowly but surely the mirror got turned around and by the end of the visit, he couldn't stop looking at himself. 

He said he could see just fine without glasses and I told him that he will be amazed at what he can see with them on. He doesn't even know what he has been missing! 

A few days later, I was sitting in assembly in school and I was talking to his teacher. I told him that my son had to get glasses. I was kind of warning him since I knew my son was so sensitive to this. My son  has the best teacher! You know what he told me? He said " Let me know when he is going to wear his glasses for the first time at school and I will wear mine too. He just got my vote for Teacher of the Year award. 

We went and picked up his glasses and he looked outside and told me that he could read all the way across the street! He was so excited that he could see so much better. He has been wearing them nonstop- even to school- and hasn't had any issues yet. 

Young eyes. It's amazing what thirty years can do. At eight you are trying to fit in and not look smart and at thirty-nine, you're trying to fit in and look smart. "Glasses are just glasses" I told him. It's what's on the inside that counts. I happen to like what's on the inside and what's on the outside too. 

Here's a look at our new frames and our new looks wearing our glasses. 

Sandae