{Guest Post by Lauren Gaines}
At our daughter’s 3 year well visit her pediatrician mentioned they had a new technology that could check children’s vision. They asked if we wanted to have the screening done and warned me it may not be covered by insurance.
I said sure, thinking it would be a good idea. But I was not fully prepared for the result.
Soon after the nurse took the picture of our daughter’s eyes the doctor was back in with papers saying he was referring us to an ophthalmologist. It seemed our daughter had an astigmatism.
I was shocked.
She was learning her letters, walking, talking, etc. We had no idea that she wasn’t able to clearly see the world around her. Shortly after we got her first pair of glasses.
It was amazing to see the transformation. She studied every room in our house and was interested in all the little details she could never see before. I was thrilled that she was able to fully experience the beauty of this world.
Yet at the same time my heart ached.
It’s not easy to admit this and I don’t want to sound superficial, but I mourned the loss of our perfect first child. I was grateful for her glasses, but I was sad that I couldn’t see her beautiful eyes as clearly.
Would kids may make fun of her when she went into grade school?
Would she feel different because she had glasses?
Would she miss out on “normal” experiences because of them?
As mothers we want the best for our children and we often protect them from the dangers of this world. Our desire is to have them go through life with a limited number of bumps and bruises.
We want to shield them from hard things and help them when they struggle.
Through all of this I’m learning to let go and trust God in all situations. He knows what is best and He is always watching over our children.
Two years later and the glasses have only been a blessing!
My daughter did a wonderful job adjusting to her new accessory and she never once complained about wearing them.
I did all that worrying for nothing!
Have you ever experienced this in motherhood?
Was there a time when you worried about how your child would adapt or cope? How did you find peace in the situation?
I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
Lauren has a background in school psychology and recently became a stay at home mom. She loves empowering women to parent joyful, healthy, Godly children. Come find support in motherhood, faith, healthy living, relationships and more as Lauren journeys through life as a daughter, wife and mother at her blog, Heart of Deborah. Follow her on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.
Wow, thank you for sharing this story with us. It is amazing how at times we feel that God was not on our side, only to find out that we didn’t see the whole picture to accurately assess the situation.
So so true.