A New Look on Life

Some of you may know that I have a daughter with a cognitive disorder.  Because of this, she has been severely delayed in her speech, slightly delayed in her gross motor skills and I am always worrying about her education.  I am at the school every September talking to her teachers and coming up with some game plans to get her through the year.  The thing I love about Caroline (my daughter) is that she tries harder than everyone else so that she can understand what is going on, and I admire that about her.
Last year, just to rule it out, I took this Monkey to the optometrist to get her eyes checked because we noticed that she was having trouble copying items off of the board at school.  The Optometrist told us that Caroline was just on the border of needing glasses, but that she was fine.  I was relieved and her teacher and I decided to move her up to the front of the classroom to help things along.
Throughout the year, Caroline would complain, ever so slightly, that she was still having a hard time seeing the board.  Because of her disorder, the teacher and I figured that it was just because of her delay developmentally.  I decided to take Caroline to see the optometrist yesterday, because she was so borderline last year and she DEFINITELY needs glasses!  Her prescription in one eye is the same as mine and I have had glasses since grade 4!
I felt terrible, happy, relieved and guilty all at the same time!  You see, Caroline doesn't usually complain, especially when it comes to school, and so I feel as though I should have listened better.  I feel guilty that she had to go through most of last year and the entire summer basically not being able to see.  I feel terrible because Caroline already feels as though she is different than everyone else in our family and being the only child with glasses made her feel sad because she will stand out even more.  I told her I was excited because she is now the only one of my children who needs glasses, like me, and I think that that has helped her to accept the change that the new glasses will bring.
I felt happy because her world is about to change.  She will be able to see the letters on signs!  She will be able to read the notes on her piano music without having to constantly stand up.  She will be able to see things from a distance and not guess at them.  I feel relieved because I had a nagging feeling that I needed to take her into see the doctor and even he had second guessed that. . . . until he did his tests.
Whenever people ask me for advice about raising children, my advice has always been the same. . . . listen to them. . . . they will tell you what they need.  I feel like I may have dropped the ball a little bit with Caroline, but I am so happy that her life is about to get so much easier!!