Trares
We should have seen it coming.
When Anthony got into the car one day last week after school, he excitedly told my wife that his teacher had given him a special note. It was in the folder that was sent home each day, and his teacher was insistent that he make sure his parents saw it.
In his mind, Anthony assumed it was something good — commending him on a classroom assignment or a nice gesture he made to a fellow classmate.
Not so much.
The note had come from the school nurse. A few weeks earlier, all of the students had taken a basic eye exam to make sure their vision was healthy. Anthony’s wasn’t so good; he had failed tests for both the right and the left eyes. We’d need to take him to the eye doctor for an exam, and have the doctor sign the note to send back.
When my wife explained the reality behind the note, Anthony was devastated. For a child who already abhors change, this seemed too much to bear.
Not that he, or any of us, should have been surprised. I needed to get glasses at about the same age he is, and so did my wife. Both of my parents have glasses or wore contacts; my brother spent a good chunk of his young life with Coke-bottle-thick lenses.
We tried to tell Anthony that it was nothing to be afraid of, that he’d be so much happier once he could see better. None of it countered her fears.
On the day of his optometrist appointment, he trudged to the car with his head down, deeply sighing and holding back tears. Both my wife and I went with him to the appointment, reassuring him that it would be easy and he would be fine. Anthony went through the exam and the doctor confirmed — he was going to need glasses.
He was crestfallen sitting in the waiting room as we checked out. It was hard seeing him take the news, so we just tried to comfort him and make him feel better. We even decided to wait to actually pick out the glasses; he didn’t seem to be up to going through the process at that time.
Turns out, all he needed was a good friend to make him feel better.
That evening, Anthony’s school was holding its annual fundraising fall festival. He still wanted to go, even if he was down in the dumps. So we walked over to the building, where kids were climbing over inflatables, playing carnival games and scarfing down pizza.
We had told our friends, who happen to be Anthony’s best friend’s parents, about his forthcoming glasses. This friend of Anthony’s has had glasses for years, and when he spotted Anthony from across the schoolyard, he ran excitedly over to talk.
“Anthony, I heard you’re going to get glasses!”
For the rest of the night, this friend allayed any fears Anthony might have had about getting glasses. As we walked back to our neighborhood, you could tell Anthony felt 100% better about what was to come. We’re all ready for the next step of picking out a pair of specs.
All it took were some kind words from a friend to help us see.
Ryan Trares is a senior reporter and columnist for the Daily Journal. Send comments to [email protected].
