by Hillary R.

Created on: August 12, 2009

"Mom, some kid called me four-eyes today!" said an 8-year-old boy to his mom as she picked him up from school. Actually, it was more like a scream with tears streaming down as the boy came running to his mom. A lot of children and teenagers face this problem. The incessant teasing coming from their peers in school makes a lot of kids reject their eyeglasses and opt out of wearing them.

This scene happened when I was only 8-years-old and had just received my first pair of eyeglasses. This young boy in my class was teased mercilessly for the coke-bottle eyeglasses he was made to wear. Granted, they looked like they were straight out of the 1970's - which was not popular in fashion at the time. I remember him running to his mom, crying, because he was being picked on. Luckily, I never had that problem. The main difference between that kid and me was having not only parents with eyeglasses but siblings with eyeglasses. Having older siblings with sight problems helped me. Studies have shown that children that have siblings with eyeglasses tend to wear eyeglasses on a consistent basis and with more confidence.

The day I was told I needed prescription glasses was a happy day for me. I chose a pair of glasses that looked just like my older sister's frames. She looked so cool in hers that I wanted to look cool also. While this did not make her happy - it did help keep the kids from picking on me. My eyeglasses were fashionable and "grown up"! This gave me a lot of confidence. The confidence helped to ward off any bullying.

Today's kids and teenagers have it a lot easier. With the help of branding, many kids can now wear eyeglasses with confidence. Many teenagers make their eyeglass frames a distinct part of their wardrobe. It not only becomes a staple in their wardrobe, they use it as a tool to build their outfits around. Just as tinting your hair to a new color can change your look - eyeglasses achieve the same effect for many people.

So, how do you keep your kids from ripping off their frames in disgust? Help build your child's confidence by reminding them that they haven't changed even though they are wearing eyeglasses. Remind your children that the smartest people wear eyeglasses - and so do some of today's hottest celebrities! Harry Potter wears eyeglasses. Megan Fox also wears eyeglasses. Taylor Momsen of Gossip Girl also wears glasses. Remind them that it's not dorky to wear eyeglasses - it's actually a very cool thing!

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