In May, Tirana Castle filled with children’s voices, laughter and games. It was one of the very first events with children ever held inside the Castle, and for us at Italoptik it will remain a very special memory.
First of all, I want to thank from my heart my dear friend Klodiana Toptani, the founder of Tirana Castle. Klodiana opened her doors to us, welcomed us with great warmth and helped us organise this day step by step. Without her, this event would not have been possible. Thank you also to Noah’s Ark, who partnered with us for this day.
We live in the digital age. Our children grow up with iPhones, iPads and computers in their hands, often from a very young age. So that day we decided on something simple: no screens. Instead, the children sat together and played with puzzles, with sand and with board games, cut coloured paper and drew with pencils and markers. It was wonderful to see how quickly they got lost in play, how much they laughed and how naturally they made friends with each other.
With us was also my dear friend, psychologist Ilta Shahinaj, together with mothers and their children. Ilta talked with the parents about something that touches all of us: children do not learn from what we tell them, they learn from what they see us do. If we are on our phones all the time, they will be too.
Our message to parents is this: be an example. After work, home should be a safe place for children, a place where they feel seen and heard. Instead of everyone sitting in their own room in front of a TV, spend time together as a family. Eat together, cook together, play together. These small moments are the ones children remember for the rest of their lives.
This helps not only their psychological wellbeing, but also their eyes. Every day, in our stores, we see how hard it is today for children to keep normal vision. We see it in almost every child. Long hours in front of screens, up close and without breaks, tire the eyes and increase the risk of myopia. Play, movement and time outdoors are some of the best protection we can give them.
Our goal with this event was simple: to help children return to their games and focus less on technology. And when we saw their smiles that day, we knew it was worth continuing.
For us, being part of the community matters deeply. As opticians, it is not enough to sell glasses. We have a responsibility to help our community move forward and to make it more sensitive to these issues, which touch the health and the future of our children.
A special thank you goes to our dear friend Anisa, who prepared the catering for the event with so much love. Her table of fresh fruit made the day even sweeter.
Thank you Klodiana, thank you Ilta, thank you Anisa, and thank you to every mother and every child who came. We will meet again.
With love,
Romina Lula and the Italoptik team
