The longest summer ever is nearing its end.

In less than a week, school will be back in session after being out since the first week of May, and as a parent of two, I have no shame in admitting I could not be more excited.

This summer has been a fun one. From pool days to vacations and birthday parties to lazy Sundays, our family has packed as much fun into the past few months as possible.

As amazing as it has been, there’s one major factor of our lives that has been sorely lacking — routines.

Bed times have been far too late, and morning wake ups have been as much a struggle as the inevitable 10 p.m. put downs.

Our family’s back-to-school routine begins in earnest on tax-free weekend. This year, we opted to take advantage of Arkansas’ tax-free weekend, as it was a week before Missouri’s and fit our birthday party schedule better.

We spent a day battling crowds at Target, TJ Maxx and Shoe Carnival nailing down school supplies, outfits that are the right size and shoes that actually fit feet that grow faster than our lawn after a summer rainstorm.

As we get closer to the first day, we make attempts to taper down the hour of bedtime to 8:30 p.m. We still have a few days to make that stick, but if tradition holds, it won’t be easy.

My favorite part of the new school year is the first-day drop-off. It takes at least three days to nail down the proper outfits for day one, even though we’d allegedly determined them weeks prior at Target. Ultimately, the final first-day outfit will be decided the day of.

The best part of that day is the photo right before we leave the house. That’s a tradition that we never skip, and over the years, it has given us a tangible view of the kids’ growth in the most adorable and happy way.

These are traditions I did not have as a child, so to get to create new ones with my kids is something special.

A realization that comes along with that is that we are abundantly blessed. Many families across Barry County struggle with limited incomes and many need assistance making sure their children have everything they need to be successful in school.

One thing about kids though, is they fall into routines they are handed. And when it’s hardest, they shine brightest.

Almost every community in Barry County has some kind of backpack program that provides school supplies, shoes, backpacks (obviously), and more.

Speaking to those who don’t have to utilize them, those programs mean more than you think. There are few things that mean as much to a child as a new backpack, a new pair of shoes and a full set of supplies on the first day of school.

How children interact on a first day of school — when it comes to making new friends and being comfortable in their surroundings — is heavily dependent on being set up to succeed.

No matter how they reach success, it’s paramount. We as a community are quite good about routinely making sure our school children are well-prepared.

It’s a point of pride we should take, even if it’s not easy. We’re all in it together.

Kyle Troutman has served as editor of the Cassville Democrat since 2014 and owner/publisher since 2023. He is a four-time ISWNE Golden Dozen award winner. He may be reached at 417-847-2610 or [email protected].