3 Ways To Help Your Child Feel Comfortable In New Glasses

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Wearing glasses for the first time can make children feel a little uncomfortable. It changes their look, and invites extra attention from schoolteachers and peers. While the general perception of glasses has shifted over the years, children and adolescents may still feel apprehensive about teasing and name calling. Outlined below are three ways you can help overcome those initial apprehensions and boost your child's confidence.

1. Help Your Child Pick the Right Style

One of the first steps in gaining confidence is feeling like you look good, right? So, help your child pick out glasses that they look best in. Even if your options are limited by what insurance will cover, your child should be able to try on multiple styles of glasses. To pick the right ones, keep these guidelines in mind:

• Match to Face Shape: Determine your child's face shape before you go to the optometrist. You can even make a game of it by pulling out a mirror and letting your child trace their face on the glass and guess what shape it resembles most. More angular faces – square, triangle, and rectangular – should wear more rounded frames that help soften facial features. On the other hand, rounder faces – oval, heart, and circular – should wear frames with defined edges to sharpen facial features.
• Match to Face Size: Determining width and height of glasses can be tricky, especially when children are constantly growing and adjusting. A good rule of thumb for this is to reference face shape again. If your child's face is narrower at the forehead than at the chin, look for frames that are slightly wider than the cheekbone. For broader faces, find glasses that are equal widths with the cheekbones. If your child has a long face, the bottom of the frames can extend below the cheekbones, but if your child has a short face, find glasses that are above or touching the cheekbones.

2. Help Your Child Find Frames that Suit Their Personality

Maintaining personality is key. Your child doesn't want to feel like a totally new person, but like an improved version of self. Before heading to the eye doctor, discuss different frame and style options that might interest your child. For example:

• Patterned or Solid Frames: First determine if you should try to call attention to the glasses or not. If your child has a bold personality, bright colors or patterned frames can bring that out. Small jewels can enhance your child's eye for flair. However, if your child would rather not call attention to the new glasses, solid, muted colors are a good way to go.
• Thick or Thin Frames: A lot of this decision is based on the activities your child is involved in. If your child is athletic, a sturdier, thick frame is a good way to go so you don't worry as much about damaging the glasses. However, thick frames are also bolder, so if your child doesn't need participate in sports, they might not be as comfortable in them. Thin or partial frames are very subtle and are a good option for a child who isn't excited with the prospect of wearing glasses.

3. Help Your Child Find People with Similar Glasses

Glasses are a trendy fashion statement right now, which has helped shift even young kids' perspectives on them. If your child isn't so sure about how their new look will be received, help them find images of people in similar glasses and talk about it with them. Some people to consider are:

• Celebrities: Look at images of celebrities in glasses. Talk about how the public responds to the glasses and ask your child what they think of the look.
• Family: If you (or another family member) wore glasses as a child, find a picture of yourself and compare. Did your glasses make you look a little goofy, or did you have some that matched your face shape? Discuss how you overcame feelings of self-doubt and how friends and family helped you stay confident.

Getting glasses for the first time can make your child feel self-conscious. However, you can help your child find a pair that suits their appearance and personality to help them feel confident. You can also point out familiar glasses-wearing faces to ease the fear of being teased.

For more information, contact a company like Envision Eyecare. 

8 February 2016