Wishing all of you a very, very happy new year!  May 2013 bring all of you much peace, joy, and no broken, scratched, or lost glasses!

Three quick resolutions for 2013

1: Protect your child’s glasses:

Safe in a glasses case.

Keep your house stocked for good glasses maintenance:

• plenty of microfiber or soft cotton cleaning cloths around the house for quick clean up, mild soap or lens cleaning solution for the really dirty times that our kids seem to find so very often.
• When you’re cleaning the glasses, check them over for scratches or loose screws.
• And make sure you have a case or holder for their glasses for those times the glasses do need to come off – and need to stay safe.

2: Protect your child’s vision:

Charlotte in her cocoon sunglasses

Make sure your child’s vision stays as healthy as possible:

• Make sure your child has good eye protection from the sun.
• If he or she is involved in sports, look in to sports goggles if appropriate.
• Check with your child’s eye doctor about when they’re next appointment should be, and what things they want you to watch for that you would need to schedule an earlier appointment for.

3: Share your story / your child’s story to help others:

just a few of the beautiful kids in the photo gallery

Though vision issues are quite common in kids (about 1 in 20 preschoolers should wear glasses according to one study), they’re still not a lot of public awareness about how important it is to detect and treat vision problems early.  One of the most common things I hear from parents who just found out their child needs glasses (or contacts, or patching, or eye surgery), is how alone they feel, and that they had no idea about vision issues in young kids.  Given how amazingly cute our kids are, and how curious other people seem to be about our children in glasses, we’re in a perfect position to help others see the importance of children’s vision and to help other parents going through this feel less alone:

• Respond to questions and comments about your child’s eyes and glasses with grace – at least most of the time.  Nearly all the questions and comments are well-intentioned.  (But if anyone questions your child’s need for glasses, or makes a rude comment about their glasses, then go ahead and respond with sarcasm or a chilly, “bless your heart”, or just ignore them if you just can’t find it in you to be civil.)
• Share your child’s story – on facebook, twitter, google+, on your blog, or here (I am always happy to publish stories of your child’s journey – email me at ann@shinypebble.com).  Or even just share his or her picture on our gallery.
• Join the Little Four Eyes facebook group and share your hard-won wisdom with other parents (and ask questions and benefit from the wisdom of others).
• When you meet other parents with young kids in glasses or with other vision issues, point them here or to the facebook group, especially if they’re feeling overwhelmed or confused.