today, family is paramount—and kids are experiencing an elevated level of attention and involvement from their parents, perhaps more than ever before. In fact, according to a University of California, Irvine, study, mothers spend twice as much time caring for family as they did in 1965. And, fathers have amazingly quadrupled their time commitment since then.

Forget the infamous tiger moms and helicopter parents of the past—today’s engaged parents are supportive and yet more mindful of healthy boundaries.

A real-world example, my husband and I are deeply involved in our 8-year-old daughter’s seemingly nonstop world. By day, we are magazine editor + EV software director, and by night, we are scheduling assistants, chauffeurs, support team, pit crew, cheering section, and more…including a team in marriage. We, of course, wouldn’t have it any other way.

As such, parents today are more engaged in all aspects of their children’s lives, including eye care. Which is excellent news for eyecare professionals.

In our cover feature, Are You a Champion for Vision? on page 46, we delve into the uniquely changed kids’ eye care and eyewear niche to reveal the details behind the ultra-engaged parenting trend and tap five expert ECPs for tips on how to become your community’s go-to resource for eye care for the whole family.

In our Whimsical Nature fashion feature on page 36, we serve up a fantastical lineup of the latest, most on-trend kids’ eyewear that will enliven your product mix (think copious amounts of glitter, saturated hues, and cool-kid mini adult styling). And, there’s so much more, too—from the latest kids’ sports eyewear (page 30) to an insider look at kids’ thirst for technology and the resulting blue light effects + solutions (page 50).

We hope you enjoy the issue!

ON OUR COVER:

Models: Corey Scott/Photogenics, Hannah Haehn/Photogenics, Alexandra/Brand

Photography: Jurgen Reisch

Hair + Makeup: Prisca Wille

Fitting Optician: Rhea Aldridge of Gogosha Optique

Frames: From left: EVATIK 9169, FYSH UK 3607, and Superflex Kids 196 from WestGroupe

Erinn Morgan
Editor-in-Chief + Editorial Director
Eyecare Business