Prairie Eye Tests

Sigh. Just put them on . . .

My children were raised on Disney movies.

And the Great Canadian Plains are flat.

What do those statements have to do with eyesight?

Maybe I should explain . . .

In some parts of Alberta, the prairies stretch out, flat and almost featureless in all directions.

And you can see for miles.

If you can see.

Our eldest daughter was having greater and greater difficulty making out what was being written on her grade two blackboard.

We suspected that she would soon follow in the footsteps of both of her parents.

And all three of her older brothers.

Glasses.

We were saddened by this.

Caitlin had always been our little 'eagle eyes'.

Able to spot a MacDonalds sign from miles away.
The first one to spot a coyote or antelope.

Remember what I said about the prairies being flat?

We decided to test her.

One last attempt before we admitted defeat and took her to our good friend, soon to become our better friend, the optometrist.

Sigh.

We were driving.

A sign approached.

Visible for miles.

An easily read sign.

“Caitlin,” her dad said. “What does that sign say?”

Caitlin straightened up in the back seat, craning her neck to see out the front window. “It says . . .”

“Don't step on the mome raths!” came another little voice from the back seat.

Three-year-old Tiana had joined the conversation.

With the usual interesting results.

Maybe one too many times watching Alice in Wonderland?