Theo is wearing glasses! We went to his annual well-check at his pediatrician’s office last fall and they suggested that we have his vision tested at a specialist. We went to a great pediatric ophthalmologist at Primary Children’s Hospital recently and he prescribed Theo with his first pair of glasses! They are primarily for distance (reading the white board in the classroom) but he doesn’t need them for close-up work (reading a book, using the iPad).

Both of Theo’s parents have been wearing glasses since our own childhoods so it wasn’t a huge surprise that he would need eyewear at some point. Both of us wear contacts now, but since Theo only needs to wear his glasses occasionally/when needed, we thought glasses would be the best bet. My first stop was Costco (of course)! He outgrew the sizes that they had for children, so we went to an “adult” pair that fit him the best.

In doing some more research about glasses for kids, my husband found the website Jonas Paul Eyewear which is kind of like a Warby Parker (which we have both used) — but for kids! Theo also has outgrown those sizes but they have some really cute stylish frames. I also took the measurements of Theo’s chosen frames from Costco and compared them to other frames found on Zenni Optical. I was able to order a backup pair that look nearly identical to his other frames for about 1/3 of the price. The quality seems about the same and Theo wears both pairs interchangeably. Hope this helps some of you who need to find cute spectacles for your kids’ cute faces!

Theo started taking Cotillion this fall, the first year it is available for a 3rd grader. He was apprehensive about starting since he has to dress up in formal clothing (coat and tie!) and wasn’t excited about the prospect of taking “etiquette” classes. But after the first class he thought it was actually pretty fun! It helped that he had friends from school (both boys and girls) who were there to share the experience.

The classes that Theo attends are run by the Jon D. Williams Cotillion program. They have classes held in Salt Lake City at the Salt Lake Country Club and in Park City held at Temple Har Shalom. The first classes are for ages 3rd/4th grade, then one for 5th/6th graders, and a Social Skills class for 7th/8th graders. Classes are once a month and last through the spring, which culminate in a final party at the Grand America hotel or La Caille restaurant.

The classes that I have observed include a lesson around a certain topic (for example, “Conversation & Listening” or “Table Manners”) and include lessons for a dance. It sounds about as cute as you can imagine: 8- and 9-year-olds learning and dancing the Fox Trot together! The kids are learning about being respectful towards each other along with proper manners and being polite. It has turned out to be a fun activity and highly enjoyable to watch!