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Home › Articles › Your Children › Four Eyes Can Be Fabulous

Four Eyes Can Be Fabulous

Get Your Child to Understand the Importance of Glasses

By C.J. Johnson

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Dawn Hughes of Kentucky got eyeglasses for her daughter, Taylor, when she was 8 years old. "She knew they'd help her see better and couldn't wait to get them," she says. "I could hardly get her to take them off to go to sleep." Her daughter never worried about what other kids thought even when a few called her "four eyes."

"A lot of kids at her school wear eyeglasses. She thought her new glasses were really cool," Hughes says.

Christy Christiansen of Utah found it just as easy when her son, Forrest, began wearing glasses at age 7. "On the drive home from the optometrist's office he shouted to us 'There are mountains out there!' We felt horrible we hadn't gotten him glasses sooner," she says. Her biggest challenge was keeping his friends from trying them on.

Christiansen keeps her son's eyeglass routine simple. "I wash them for him each morning when I comb his hair and he puts them on his nightstand when he goes to bed."

When children become used to their glasses, they can take over the responsibility of keeping them clean. Fausset suggests children get in the habit of cleaning their glasses when they wash their hands. "Lenses should be washed with soap and water daily. This is better than glass cleaners because kids won't carry that around," he says. "They can dry them with a cotton towel or even a T-shirt."

Nickie Harris of Portland, Ore. was surprised how easy it was for her daughter, Charlotte, to adjust to wearing glasses. "I used my serious voice the first day and laid down the rules for her. Even though she was just 5, she understood immediately how important it was to take good care of her new glasses," she says. "She puts her glasses in their protective case when she is not wearing them and I help her wash them each day."

Charlotte was relieved by her improved vision and rarely took them off. Even when the novelty faded away she was still proud to wear them to school.

These moms discovered that getting your kids to wear glasses doesn't have to be a hassle. And you can have success, too. Just keep your attitude positive and supportive. Follow your child's lead in choosing frames, but make sure they are sturdy and harmless. Help create a simple routine for caring for his or her new eyewear and your child's improved vision will be a benefit no small obstacles can destroy.

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