Getting Glasses Can be an Adjustment

On their last break from school, my daughter and son happily enjoyed a nice week of catching up with friends and having a relaxed schedule. I was careful to avoid overloading our schedule so we had a nice balance of days out and days being at home.

As can often happen on a school break, I used one day as our “appointments day.” We had our routine dental checks and eye exams booked. The morning went smoothly with the dentist, and then it was time to head home for lunch. Next, we popped back out to do the children’s eye exams. Anna, my daughter, decided to go first. We were all expecting a quick check, that she would read the eye chart without difficulty, and then Luke, my son, would have his turn and we would be on our way.

But as Anna sat there with the optometrist, it was evident that she couldn’t read the chart clearly. Various lenses were tried, and in what seemed like a split second, we were told she needed her first set of eyeglasses. I could tell by her expression that she was just trying to hold it together without bursting into tears. I, myself, struggled to take in this unexpected information while trying to remain strong for Anna and keep it together because her brother needed to have his turn next.

After Luke’s eye exam was completed without difficulty, we circled around the kiosk of eyeglass frames for children. In disbelief that this was really happening, my 10-year-old daughter reluctantly tried on a few pairs. The kind sales associate was trying to be positive; however, no amount of encouragement at that moment could have helped drown out Anna’s sadness in needing help with her eyesight. We found a trendy pair of black frames, with fuchsia pink temples that were well-suited for her face shape and wouldn’t be too heavy. As I was settling the order and payment, Anna glanced at me with a look that said, “Do we really have to order these? Do I really need to have eyeglasses?”

She cried for the majority of the car ride home—getting eyeglasses just hadn’t been anticipated. And yet, I kept thinking to myself of all the times Anna had mentioned having headaches after watching a movie in the previous months, or even at random times, after concentrating hard on her studies. I remember asking her about her vision, but at that point, I don’t think she even realized that one eye was slightly weaker than the other.

A week later, the dreaded visit to collect her eyeglasses was upon us. I knew she wasn’t happy about it, but I needed to stay positive and keep assuring her that it would all work out—that with or without glasses, she was still my beautiful girl, and she would be accepted by those around her. The appointment went better than expected, and I even purchased a cute eyeglass case with flamingos printed on it, which she loved.

Of course, her daddy, brother, and I praised her and said she looked lovely in her new glasses, but it was solidified by having that reassurance from friends and classmates at school the next day that made her realize she was still loved and accepted—with or without glasses.

My mama’s heart was reminded that over the next decade, there will be loads of changes in store for my daughter and son. Possibly wearing braces, dealing with periods, bra fittings, bodily changes throughout the teen years, etc. Having to wear eyeglasses is really just the tip of the iceberg as we face the pre-teen and teenage years sooner than I’d like to think. However, even if I feel unready at times, I want my children to know their mama will walk through these changes with them. Step by step, we will get comfortable with change and adjust to newness with grace along the way.

I don’t think any mother particularly looks forward to facing the potential awkwardness of their child’s growing up changes, which frequently happen when we least expect it. But, by God’s grace, we have an incredible opportunity to empower our children as these changes come. With our endless encouragement, unconditional love, and time invested to help equip and educate our children, they can learn to flourish even if changes, especially bodily changes, feel odd at first. And though life can routinely feel like a whirlwind of newness, we can choose as mamas to remember that because we’ve made it through our own growing-up years, we can be assured our children will make it through theirs.

With a bittersweet wave to the numerous victories we’ve already achieved through my children’s progress from infancy to now, I will keep telling myself and them that it’ll all be okay—we’ll walk through these changes together!