How to get DS to wear glasses all the time....

[purpleprincess]

DS (nearly 9) has not been wearing his glasses at all at school this term (only found out at parents evening!). He should at the very least be wearing them for looking at whiteboard and distance stuff. He has no problem wearing them at home. So took him to opticians and although his prescription hasn't changed she said really he should be wearing them all the time - he is about -2.75 so would really benefit from this. Don't want to go down the 'stick' approach of punishing him for not wearing them but don't want to reward him too much for something he should be doing. Think he is quite a sensitive soul and am guessing that one or two boys at school might have made a comment. He has been wearing them since he was @7 1/2. He has good friends who wear glasses all the time.

Am going to try and get him to wear them during half term when not so much peer pressure at school etc hopefully he will realise he is much better off with them. I also know that the teacher will make him wear them.

Any advice would be very welcome.
TIA

I know you are all watching Spooks but anyone?? Please

If he has to wear them all the time, is there anyway at 9 he is ready for contacts? How old are his glasses? Could a new pair entice him to wear them more often?

Not got any other ideas sorry, my sons only 4 and luckily wears his all the time now - but it did take 6 months of persuasion!

Really feel for your DS - I'm guessing he's the first in his class to start wearing them at the moment, but that won't last, as teenagers often have to start wearing them at around 14 - not that that's much help to him now, but I did find there were a few people who had to take back the nasty comments they'd made when I started wearing glasses at 7!
Sounds as though his teacher's on side, so is there any way she could bring this up as part of PSHE and generate a bit more awareness, perhaps? Or could you and DS see which well known people wear glasses and discuss the positive responses to them, rather than him focusing on the negatives (assuming you haven't already done this; don't want to teach grandma to suck eggs!)
This is one of those horrible life lessons in resilience that kids have to learn, unfortunately, but it will help him empathise with others who are perceived to be 'different', for whatever reason.
Sorry if this isn't all that helpful, but the alternative is being called 'Squint' if he doesn't wear them, which is also pretty crap.

DS now 6 has had his for 8 months now and wears them all the time. I simply took the stance if he took them off at school and left them there no TV or computer at home as he'd get a headache. No puishment just a simple - this is how it is. I need glasses all the time too so I took lots of piccys of us together and pointed how how alike we are - this seemed to spur him on.

Thanks for your comments. He is not the only one to wear glasses in his class - a couple of other boys where them all the time - including one of his best friends who has been wearing them since he was about 2. No way is he ready for contacts but is already planning having laser surgery!! I feel like we are having a battle about this and I don't want it to be this way as I know I will lose. Good idea about getting the teacher to talk about it perhaps but I need to convince him to see the benefits (see what I did there!). If he starts wearing them more often (I am thinking at home during half term) then he will realise that life is so much better with them. I wear contacts or glasses and have said I will weare my glasses all day if he does. He loves Harry Potter but I can't imagine that having a chat about it is going to make the difference. I know that sounds negative but I know my son. He has friend round today so is going to be reluctant to wear them so I fear that I'm going to have to tell him that he can't play on the Wii, go the cinema or watch telly unless he wears them.

Thanks again.

I don't agree with scaremongering or bribing children but wondering whether your DS is old enough to see a piccy of a child with a squint and have it exlained that that can be a consequence of not wearing his glasses - especially if one eye is significantly worse than the other.

Kind of like an informed choice iyswim??

PurplePrincess how's it going with getting DS to wear glasses during the half term? Any success there? (fingers crossed emoticon)

My son (7) was disappointed he didn't need glasses! I thought they were seen as trendy now.

30 odd years ago I was your son's age when I had to start wearing glasses. I too wouldn't. My mum got the teacher to work her magic. She had to do the same when I went to secondary school.

Oh and btw the way, I forgot to mention DS having to sit alone at the front of the class not at the back with his friends or where he chose soon got him to put them on. His teacher is brilliant I have to say. She simply said I need you to be able to read whats on the whiteboard, either sit close emough or wear your glasses. Never pressure just the pure choice for him.