*&#%$@!

Anyone who lives with small children can appreciate that moment of panic when someone with a particular "feature" walks into the realm of a public place. Today I was enjoying a delightful lunch with my sister, her baby, my brother on his lunch break and my three darling children on the veranda of my favorite Mexican restaurant. Not that our group didn't already draw unnecessary attention, mind you. Toward the end of our meal a man joined the table a mere five feet from us--a distinguished older gentleman in a nice suit, with a black eye patch. I felt my pulse quicken and my eyes widen in anticipation of the comments quickly formulating in my four and two year old's minds. The four year old simply pointed it out, "Look, he has an eye thingy like the lady in Big Fish". Phew, "yes, thats right, she did have one." (except then she kept referring to it as a "gold eye", whatever.)
And then, it was too late. The two year old, out of reach of my muffling hand, pointed and with a loud voice told her uncle, "Look! A Pirate!" The man, seemingly unamused pretended to ignore us, as we did him. We quickly paid our bill and left without making 'eye' contact.
I don't intend to insinuate that he was 'funny' looking at all. It just isn't everyday that you see someone with the legitimate need for an accessory like that. So I will consciously take the time to sit with my kids and explain that 'some people have certain needs and it is not OK to make fun, just accept people as they are. Let's embrace our differences...yadda yadda, love one another'.
And to prove that there are no judgements or condescending feelings, I have included a resource for those who might be interested in exploring these "visually impaired" aids.


Adult Ultra Suede Eye Patch
http://www.sightconnection.com/plu-384.html