VT Works

After a lengthy conversation about setting her child up for success, a parent asked me recently how I become so invested in a child’s success?

“Are you this invested in all the kids here?”

Well, yes.

I often joke the reason I can become so invested in my patients is because I have no life. Remember, my kids are both in college and live in different states, which can make dating as an adult fun, but also slightly awkward when your “me time” gets interrupted by a late-night FaceTime about laundry, student loans, or why their microwave smells like burnt regret. Just another reminder of where my energy is truly needed—on the patients. Or, it might be because working more hours means less time to suffer through the exercise I have grudgingly committed to these last few years—grumbling the entire way and questioning every life choice that led me to these 6 a.m jogging sessions.

We can pretend these reasons are real, but it would be a touch of dishonesty if I let things end there. The real reason I am so committed to my patients is actually quite simple: I want them to win.

The number of patients, mostly children, who discover Vision Therapy as a last resort is fairly astounding. They’ve had tutoring, they’ve been tested for ADD and ADHD, and they may of even had to visit the school psychologist to look at ink blots which likely made no sense. Feeling defeated is commonplace, and rightfully so. After all, if you failed at your job day after day after day, yet you still were forced to show up and try every morning with someone sitting in the background reminding you to “just try harder”, your attitude would likely be rough, too. Considering our school years are the only time in our lives where we are expected to be good at everything – math, reading, spelling, writing – success is expected at all levels. The irony is, as adults, we only need to be good at one thing. I like to think I’m good at helping people, but put some college level math problem in front of me, and well, we might be here a while. Kids need to be good at many skills, yet as adults, we only need to be good at one thing.

Seems a bit backwards, doesn’t it?

But you see, here’s the thing about me: as much as I enjoy victory, I want you to win, too. I want you to find your successes and victories. I want you to feel good about your life. I want you to be sure that no matter what happens during our session, you feel seen and heard – even if I don’t have an answer for your problems.

Life can be hard. Throw in a member of your family, especially a child, who is struggling, and the degree of difficulty multiplies exponentially. If I can ease some of that challenge by ensuring people are seen and heard, I am there 150%, eight days per week.

Does that make me “invested” in my patients – maybe.

I prefer to think of it this way: we are all on the same team, and if my patients feel seen and heard, then it’s a win. And when they win, I win, too.

Now that you know, how you reach that space in the future is up to you.

Just don’t ask me to jog there with you—I’m emotionally supportive and on an athletic decline. Lately, some of my best cardio workouts have been chasing a patient’s runaway younger sibling around the reception area while trying not to spill my coffee.

It’s not pretty, but it counts.

And just so we’re clear, I may be committed, but I’m not running a marathon here—unless it’s a metaphorical one that involves coffee, stubborn optimism, and the occasional awkward attempt at using TikTok to understand “what the kids are into.” In which case, lace up—I’m already winded.

At the end of the day, all the effort, humor, heartache, and hustle boil down to this: I show up because I care, and I care because you matter.

And if I have to crack a few jokes and skip leg day to get that message across, so be it.

My calves gave up on me years ago anyway.

Cheers!