Like super long distance vision

Moomin’s getting glasses! It turned out that he has trouble seeing the board when he sits in the back of the class. He gets other people to read it for him. “Not a complainer, then,” the eye doctor said. He’s right on the edge of needing glasses, but for now it should be fine for him to move seats to be nearer to the front of the room. Our doctor said he could wait to get glasses for another six months to a year.

I wanted to make sure he doesn’t feel bad about that or miss the details of the world. So we took the test glasses and looked out the window. Moomin could then read signs more clearly, see tree branches and leaves instead of blobs, and so on. He was intrigued at the thought it was like a new superpower.

We might keep his glasses in the car, so he can look around while we drive places, or wear them in the kayak so he can actually see the birds I point out rather than semi-faking it. “Oh yeah Mom… I see it….” (totally unconvincing)

The eye doctor said it isn’t good for kids who are mildly near-sighted to read or do homework while wearing their glasses. She also advised us both to stop after every book chapter and focus on distant things to give our eye muscles exercise!

I had thought that while we were in Mountainview we might eat lunch somewhere interesting or get ice cream. But of course Moomin would rather eat his sandwich and cookies and get back to school faster so as not to miss class. He likes time off school, but is too conscientious to enjoy playing hooky.

In the car we also discussed war for some reason. I explained the draft, and a little about the history of women in the military. We agreed if there were a draft, it should include men and women both. I explained that some people skipped out on the draft for Vietnam or declared themselves to be conscientious objectors. He said he thought being a CO was the way he’d have to do it, because he would not want to kill anyone and doesn’t believe in war. I’m not sure of this, but I think that if you want financial aid for college, you have to register and can’t be a conscientious objector; also, it might be impossible to be registered as a CO while there isn’t an active draft declared. I’m a little unclear about all this. Guess I should find out!

I resolved to read him the bit of my dad’s memoir about being drafted and what happened during his training. I’ve read it to him before, but he may have forgotten!

Vision tests drive me into a spiral of being totally neurotic. Am I really seeing this letter on this row? Or am I over-cleverly remembering it from a minute ago when I read it with a stronger lens? Is kind-of seeing a letter enough? What if I fake it too well and get the wrong glasses? I wish eye doctors would change the letter cards to be different between every possible lens so that I could trust my own reactions and perceptions.