Thursday, January 17, 2008

Leaves on Trees

My nine year old got glasses yesterday. I was hoping she would take after her daddy when it came to eyesight, but unfortunately she's near-sighted. Just like me.

She's not happy.

Oh, she loved being able to read the signs, see faces and not have everything so blurry when she put them on. But she hates the idea of glasses. Why? Because boys in her class have already started making fun of her when she wasn't even wearing them yet.

Boys. No matter what the year, they never change.

I was halfway through eighth grade when I found out I needed glasses. I was new to school and had to have an eye exam by a nurse. I had no idea that the world wasn't blurry to everyone else or that people could actually read the words on the chalkboard at school without asking someone for help. And leaves on trees. That's what I remember most seeing that first day with glasses. A tree wasn't an undefined blob of green, but branches with leaves. So beautiful.

But I got teased, too. Another one of the horrors of Greenacres Junior High School.

Last night on the drive home, I explained to my daughter that I remembered how those "four eyes" comments made me feel like. I also told her how some boys will tease about anything and everything, but wasn't having a whole new world of sight open up better than worrying about them. I probably said too much by the time we arrived home. Needless to say, I don't think she was convinced, but she wore the glasses to school today. Fingers crossed her day goes well!

The worst part? She needs braces, too. Just like mom. At least we have a little time until all her baby teeth fall out, but I didn't even want to tell her what the boys are going to say about that!