Here is a nice picture of Noah in his new glasses.  It was taken last week at the school’s winter concert.

I was relieved when the optometrist diagnosed his nearsightedness as mild.  Given my blindness, I know what is coming down the pike for this kid.  Yet, I’m hopeful that by the time he needs to wear these spectacles to see two feet in front of him, he will be old enough for contacts.  The doctor assured us that he only has to wear them when he can’t see the white board in school. (Do you KNOW there are no such things as blackboards anymore?  I digress.)

With that news, I breathed a sigh of relief as the kid just had braces put on his teeth.  The combination of the two is enough to cripple the confidence of even the boldest seventh grader.  I was glad Noah would not have to endure mandatory geekdom – at least in appearance – on a full time basis. At least not yet.

But Noah, as usual, had his own agenda.  He hasn’t taken his glasses off since he got them.  And when he has, it has only been at my urging to “give his eyes a rest from proper vision.”

I’m not quite sure what’s behind the “love of specs” except that he has remarked how much he enjoys seeing things.  (Can you imagine?)  I also don’t think that Noah gives a hoot about appearances – and I mean that in the best way possible.   Despite the fact that he has heard from a few friends and, of course, his brother, that they prefer Noah “without” as opposed to “with” glasses, he continues to wear them all the time.

Here is a picture of Chase with his glasses.

What’s that?  You don’t see any glasses?  Well then, welcome to my World of Chase.  Taking a picture of Chase with HIS glasses on is like capturing a photo Big Foot or the Loch Ness monster.  You’ve heard the stories that his glasses actually exist, but to this day you have never seen actual proof.  Still, you want to believe.  Rumor has it they are somewhere buried in his school backpack.

You may remember me blogging last January when Chase was poised to acquire his frames.  I wondered if he would wear them – and hoped that he would.  It turns out my hopes and dreams fell short.  Twice.  I thought that once Noah started wearing his glasses incessantly, then Chase would perhaps follow suit.  But alas, no deal.

The paradox of parenting two children has never been more apparent to me.  I have one kid who wears his glasses too often (Noah are you sure you want to wear those to the party?) and the other who doesn’t wear them enough (Chase, why don’t you just wear them for 15 minutes a day?).  I want Noah to be a little less brainy looking and Chase to be a little less vain.

Despite the occasional suggestion, I have remained largely an observer to this dynamic.  I think nature will trump nurture for both boys in the end.  In the Darwinian world of middle school, Noah may eventually want a different look for himself.  At the same time, at some point, Chase may eventually want to see things.

Most importantly, I’m going to try not to be the myopic one here and look further down the line when they will benefit greatly from making their own decisions along the way.

Which child would you rather parent:  The one who wears the glasses even when he doesn’t need them or the one who doesn’t wear them even when he does need them?
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