Stick a finger in your eye...the quest for contact lenses

My poor kid has to wear tortoise shell glasses, and it's all my husband's fault. He gave her rotten eyesight, and she needs strong frames to prevent her thick lenses from popping out. Luckily, she isn't a slave to fashion...yet. However, my mother's intuition is telling me that sometime in the near future, she's going to wish she didn't have to wear those things. So, I scheduled an appointment with the eye doctor for contact lenses. When I told her the good news, she made a face and whined, "You want me to stick a finger in my eye? Ewwwwww." Um, yeah, but only if there's a contact lens on it.

Maybe I shouldn't have made the appointment. I've already subjected my children to numerous tortures in the name of beauty: tooth cleanings, orthodontic corrections, baths, and haircuts, just to name a few. What am I thinking? My kids don't want this stuff. They'd be happy running around with oily hanks of hair hanging over their eyes; and I'm sure they loved their brown crooked teeth before I sent them to the orthodontist.

I keep telling myself that my progeny will be glad that I made them suffer through these indignities, but part of me wonders...why not save all this money and use it to build that screened in porch I've been fancying?

Frankly, I fear that the minute I call a carpenter for an estimate, my kid will hurl herself into my arms and bawl because a snarky girl called her four-eyes, or some boy made a face when he had to dance with her. 

I know that I can't prevent my little girl's heartache. I just want to postpone it, for as long as possible. Summertime is the best time to try new things, away from the critical eyes of middle school classmates. Wouldn't it be great if my kid could learn how to wear contact lenses? Granted, I don't know if I can stick a finger in my eye, so I completely understand if a contact lens doesn't get near her eyeball. I just want her to know that she has options. She doesn't have to wear those glasses forever.

But even if she does, I think she's the most beautiful girl on the planet.

This is an original post to Philly Moms. Lynn laughs about the peaks and valleys of parenting over at For Love or Funny.