You know those moments where you want to crawl in a hole and hide?? Well I had one of those moments this week. Olivia has been begging and pleading for glasses for months. She has gone to far as to purchase fake glasses and wear them around. The last two weeks she had started complaining of headaches so I decided to humor her and make an eye appointment. Well when I took her in and the Dr. started examining her I could feel my heart sinking. It was really clear that she was NOT passing with flying colors. At the end of the exam the Dr. turned to me and told me that Olivia needs glasses and that her eye muscles were competing with each other to focus ... at that point I sort of blocked out the rest she said because I was so shocked. On the other hand Olivia was bursting with glee..she was so happy and said, "I told you I needed glasses mom!" Then she smiled and picked out some bright purple glasses. If it was just the glasses I would not feel like such a terrible mother but there is more to the story. Olivia has been having some difficulties with her reading and spelling in the past few months and has fallen behind her class. We just had a meeting with her teacher a few days before the eye exam and discussed tutoring this summer. Now I question whether some of her trouble stems from the inability to SEE. What if I had taken her months ago when she started asking me for glasses?? I just keep thinking of her struggling to focus on the words at school and trying to compensate for her shortcoming. Definitely NOT my shining moment as a mom. Guilt is making it hard for ME to see at this point. I know in the long run she won't be pointing at me at her high school graduation saying "it is HER fault that I fell behind in second grade" although the nightmares I have had tell me she will.
4 comments:
You cannot beat yourself up over this. You don't see through your child's eyes and can't know exactly what they are going through. She has the glasses now and you did what you needed to do.
Agreed with Heather. I had to have glasses in the fifth grade. I would never wear them (nice coke bottle style). I forced my parents to allow me to get contacts in the sixth grade. At this point she wants to wear them, so you may be a step ahead. The drops she needs do you know if it will dilate her pupils? If it will, may look at cheap but decent sun glasses if she becomes sensitive to light.
I came across your blog and I absolutely love it!!!
Tiffany Pifer
thepiferfamily.blogspot.com
My mom did the same thing only I was 15. I kept telling her and only when I failed the eye test on the driver's test for my permit, did she believe me. All my friends were getting glasses and she thought I just wanted some. Money was tight and glasses weren't something she could get just because. I lived through it and now it's a family joke. Don't worry. You just do the best you can at the time. She'll do great now! Precious pic!
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