How To Encourage A Reluctant Child To Wear Their Glasses

While some children are excited about their first piece of prescription eyewear, some are more cautious and can be reluctant to wear their glasses. While this can be frustrating as a parent, there are a few strategies, described below, that you can use to encourage them to wear their new glasses.

Find Out What Is Causing Their Reluctance

Usually, if a child doesn't want to do something, there is a reason for it. Speak to your child and try to find out why they don't want to wear their glasses. Perhaps their glasses are uncomfortable or fit poorly, in which case you can speak to your optometrist about solutions. They might be worried about how they look with glasses, or other children may have been teasing them. If that's the case, BullyingUK suggests making an appointment to speak to your child's teacher, and to emphasise that you want to work with the school to find a remedy. If you know why your child doesn't want to wear their glasses, you're one step closer to sorting out the issue. 

Encourage Them Gently

Gentle encouragement can go a long way towards making your child want to wear their glasses: if you're too forceful, they may react badly. Try to be positive about the idea of wearing glasses, compliment them on their glasses when they wear them, and never make fun of anyone else's glasses. Families Online explains that children look to you to be a role model, and if they see you being positive about your appearance (and your glasses, if you wear them!) they're much more likely to have higher self-esteem themselves.

Allow Them Some Control

Children tend to respond well to being given choices and agency in their lives. Make going to the optometrist a special trip, as well as making sure that they feel comfortable during the appointment and have all their questions answered. They will also feel more enthusiastic about glasses if they are allowed to choose the frames they want and if they can try on as many pairs as they wish. However, when looking for prescription eyewear for children, there are some important things to look out for, as Very Well Health explains. Spring hinges, scratch-resistant coatings and special strong lenses are great options for kids, who tend to be less careful than adults—so gently encourage them to make these choices. 

Getting glasses is a new step in life for both children and parents, but by allowing them to control part of the process and being respectful of their feelings, you can make the transition as smooth as possible. Contact a company like EyeSelect to learn more about prescription eyewear.