When my youngest came home with a paper from the school nurse stating that she had not passed the eye exam, I knew a trip to my Optometrist was in order. I actually made appointments for both girls.
About 1 hour and 30 minutes into our visit, I learned that both of my girls needed glasses. Oh noooooooooooooooooo! My eldest only needs them when she has to look at the board in class.
My youngest needs them all the time.
I have needed glasses since I was in the 5th grade. I NEVER wanted to wear glasses and I always felt “less pretty” in them. I remember my Mother making negative comments about glasses. The kids at school called kids with glasses “four-eyes”. Back in the day, my glasses were HUGE and soooo not cute.
I would always take my glasses off before having my picture taken. When I was in high school, I wore contacts and I started down a path of eye infections that have landed me to only being able to wear daily disposable lenses.
Even now, I do not like myself in glasses. I still feel “less pretty” just like I did when I was in the fifth grade.
All of these feelings came rushing back to me as I sat with my daughters in the Optometrist’s office. As the optical assistant helped them try different lenses, I watched them be excited about getting glasses. “How do these look , Mommy?” they asked.
I gulped and looked at my beautiful girls with their eyes dancing behind lenses and wire frames. I had a choice, I could put my disdain for glasses on my daughters by making a negative comment, or I could help them pick the best frames for their features and celebrate them.
“Ohhh, I really like those!” I answered. I made sure to be honest with them on the frames that I really didn’t like but I did not make a negative comment about glasses in general. I have to be honest. It was difficult to look at them with glasses and think about them struggling with glasses like I did.
In a recent study on British girls, half of all girls wearing specs claim to feel ugly with their glasses on. Forty-eight per cent say they over-compensate with the rest of their outfit and appearance to make themselves feel more attractive. (I am still guilty of this.)
More importantly, just under half of the girls in the study say they think wearing glasses would make them less popular, and 40 per cent reported being bullied as a direct result of wearing glasses.
My girls are taking this glasses wearing thing in stride. They are excited and they LOVE their glasses. Today was “crazy dress” day at school. My youngest wore just about every color in her closet and topped her quirky outfit off with her new glasses. She looked at herself in the mirror and said “Looking goooood” while giving herself the thumb’s up!
Many many moons ago, Dorothy Parker wrote the ditty: “Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses”. Each week on extreme make over, Lasik surgery is the first surgery conducted so that the ugly duckling can be rid of the spectacles hiding her beauty.
So glad my girls are teaching me a new way to think! Here is a picture of them in their glasses:
Romans 12:2
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
This post is part of the weekly meme: “Pour Your Heart Out” hosted by Shell at Things I can’t Say. Click the link below to read other posts:
First of all, your girls are adorable!! My husband wears glasses so my boys may need them too. I don't share the common view of glasses you mentioned. I think they make someone look attractive and interesting…smarter too:)
The girls look great in their glasses!
I just recently got my first pair. I do not have to wear them all of the time yet but I was excited to get them.
I have never thought much about glasses because I have not had to wear them… but I must say your girls are gorgeous and they look wonderful in their glasses! I love the fresh perspective of kids!!
And they look beautiful!
I need to remember this when I need to wear mine- b/c I never like the way I look in mine.
Your girls look beautiul. I've worn glasses all my life which is probably why I feel most comfortable and pretty with mine. They are like a part of my body. I hope your girls will feel that way too. BTW, I love reading your blog.
I don’t chime in often – because I'm a guy – but since I am a guy I can speak to this. Glasses are fine – I think they’re kind of like braces – they had a stigma then it went away (then there were the “invisible” which you can actually see still – and they’re popular even. I think the research is off. God Bless and keep you Katina and all of yours.