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Friday, January 23, 2015

Still Molly. Beautiful, Brave Molly.

Right before the kids went on Christmas break, I got a letter in the mail from the school saying Molly failed her eye exam. My first thought was, "Ohhh! Mmhmmm. Yeah right!" and I didn't put much stock into a school's eye exam. Besides, she just got a clean bill of health from her pediatrician over the summer during her yearly well child check up. 

My doubts aside, we scheduled Molly an eye exam. And one for myself...because, you know, things are getting a little bit fuzzy far off. 

We got Molly into her eye exam over Christmas break. The news was unsettling. She had perfect vision in her right eye, and poor....very, very poor, vision in her left eye. We hadn't noticed it because looking out of both eyes, working together, her right eye corrects and makes up for the poor vision in her left. But when she closes her right eye and only uses her left eye, she is blind as a bat. If things had continued on, her left eye would have become so "lazy" it would have started to cross. We never noticed any issues with her vision, neither did anyone else. She never complained about her vision. I don't know why her pediatrician never picked up on this issue during the eye screening they do there, but boy am I glad the school caught it! I guess you can put stock into a school's eye exam. Thank you, Goldendale Primary School!  

After her eye exam, we explained to Molly she was going to need glasses. Always. Forever. She was none too pleased. We helped her pick out a cute pair of frames and off we went. They would call when the glasses came in. Oh, and Mama needed some glasses and sunglasses too, to help me see things far off when I'm driving, or at an assembly, etc. etc. 

Over the next few days, Molly seemed fine with needing glasses, but progressively she was becoming more and more upset and anxious. She would randomly come up to me and say she didn't want glasses, they were ugly, and then be all melancholy. 

When the call came in Tuesday saying our glasses were in, I told Molly that we would be making the drive to pick them up on Thursday. She cried. Big crocodile tears. It was a hard night. My heart broke for her. How can I teach her to be brave and make her feel ok about needing and wearing glasses if I don't even want glasses? I don't want to feel ugly in them either. And you know what, I'm sad she needs glasses too. Always. Forever. A changed Molly. I don't want a changed Molly. I want my Molly, the one I've always known.  

Come on, Mama. Suck it up. For Molly. This is a good change. A needed change. Besides, glasses or no glasses, she is still Molly. 

We all tried to comfort her the best we could. I wrote a note to her teacher. Her teacher has been giving her pep talks. I've asked friends and family to talk highly of glasses and how awesome she will look and how much better she will be able to see. You know, help quiet her fears. My sweet friend Molly even went out of her way to pick up a book at the library. She also made Molly a pan of banana bread and decorate it with glasses and her name written in raisins for us to pick up on our way to the eye glass place.  Molly was tickled pink! We ate half of it in the car! 


When we got to the eye glass place, Molly was quiet and shy. Completely unhappy. Papa sat with her while they fitted here glasses while I had mine fitted to me. She seemed to perk up a little with the attention. 



After all was said and done, we headed outside for some photos. Yes, I brought my camera! Molly was not having any of that. She kept taking them off, and we had to keep reminding her that these glasses were for always, not for sometimes. Mama's were for sometimes, but Molly's were for always. She was just not happy. But, wait a minute, wait! There's a smile!  


On the way home, we read the book our friend got from the library together. Then Molly looked at all the pictures again herself, really studying and thinking. By the time we got home, I think her view on her glasses had changed. 


This morning she was all smiles, even saying she was excited to show her teacher and her friends. We cleaned her glasses together and went over the rules of glasses ownership. Then I took some more photos because today is such a special day!  


You are beautiful and brave, Miss Molly Lynn Elizabeth. Glasses or no glasses. Inside and out. And we are so very proud of you! 

With love,
Mama Hauck

3 comments:

  1. I love the glasses on both of you! And Molly is still absolutely adorable. I got mine in first grade and I was heartbroken, it was caught in the exact same way. School eye exam which turned into an appointment at the eye doctor and then glasses forever and always because I have a similar problem where one eye has great vision and the other not so much. I fought them for years and broke many many pairs, but mine were never as cute as Miss Molly's. Now, of course, I love my glasses and am so used the way my face looks with them that I've never even considered contacts. Luckily when Piper found out she needed hers, she took it so much better than I did at her age.

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  2. I went through this with my son 15 years ago, it seemed devastating for me. His right eye was close to blind. He got his glasses and said wow Mom our dog is so big. I felt horrible that I didn't know. In a nutshell please tell Molly my little boy is now a young man a senior in college pre-med going to be a surgeon to help others. Tell her I am not sure how it works but I think those glasses made him smarter! :)

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  3. loribugbabble, Thank you! :) I remember when you talked about Piper needing and getting her glasses. She is adorable as well! It is true there are MUCH cuter frames out there now a days, lol!

    Anonymous, thank you so much for sharing your story! I feel much like you did, how did I not know? UGH. But at least we know now and can help. I will read your words to Molly! She will like knowing her glasses make her smarter! Hehehe

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