Hey Brandon,
I’m FREAKING OUT because I was just told that I need glasses! I’m really nervous about it because not many kids in my classroom wear them and I’m afraid I might get teased. What should I do?!
Four Eyed Freak
Hey Four Eyed Freak,
Okay, first of all—you’re NOT a four eyed freak. Whoever came up with the rude “four eyes” insult needs to get a life!
Secondly, I get it. Anything that makes you feel different can be scary. Most of us just want to fit in.
But honestly, glasses are really common. Maybe you have an unusual classroom where not very many kids wear glasses, but more and more kids are wearing them or contacts these days, partly because of how much more time we spend looking at screens than our parents and grandparents did.
The fact is, haters are gonna hate no matter what you do. If it’s not about your glasses, it’ll be about something else. Or at least, it will be if you’re a good target for teasing—meaning you’re someone who reacts to being teased. I know adults always say to ignore teasing, and it can be super hard to do that, but it really is good advice. Because the more you get upset abut teasing, the more you’ll amuse your teasers and they’ll keep doing it.
So if you can just shrug them off and wear your glasses confidently, that’s going to be the best thing you can do. Probably, once you get over feeling different, your glasses will really improve your vision. You’ll be able to see the classroom marker board better in school. You’ll see movies and TV more clearly. You might be having headaches now that will go away. The doctor wouldn’t be saying you need them if they weren’t going to make your life easier in the long run.
And look at it this way – you get to go shopping for a cool new accessory. Nikki says there are some super cute frames out there. So cute that some people wear glasses just for fun or to make a fashion statement, when they don’t even really need them! On some websites, you can upload a picture of your face and then “try on” all sorts of glasses. Playing with different styles like that might be a good way to get excited.
Focus on the fun of new frames and how much the glasses will help you, and even though there could be a transition where people talk about your new glasses, pretty soon they’ll just be a regular part of your look and no one will even notice.
