A Few Things To Remember Before Back-To-School Shopping In Lubbock

Can you believe the summer is almost over? Sad day! It felt like it took forever to get here and now it's time to school shop for the kids and get back to regular life. Teachers are already preparing their classrooms with decorations and stocking up on essential items.

If you haven't been school shopping in Lubbock yet, you aren't alone. My parents always took me at the very last minute. We would wade through whatever was left in the picked-apart school section at Walmart. I always wanted to have the coolest supplies. The prettiest notebooks. The gel pens. The things that would make me stand out among my peers. I wanted to be cool SO BAD.

But...

Those things were expensive, and believe it or not, I turned out alright even though we didn't buy the top-dollar stuff. I fit in along with the rest of the kids with the cheap spirals and plain Number 2 pencils. It wasn't about the supplies. It was about focusing on learning how to maneuver through the world. Cool stuff never made me cooler. It just didn't.

(Which was a total bummer, but whatever...)

I sort of think about back-to-school shopping the same way that I think about Christmas shopping. Not every child is going to have the best of the best. Some of them might not have anything at all. It can be embarrassing and hard on kids that really want to fit in with their peers when they don't have the coolest, flashiest, and most expensive items. From regular supplies to clothing, some families are really struggling to make it all happen.

That's why I wanted to take a second to remind you that you don't have to overdo it. If you are feeling the stress and pressure of competing with other parents, just stop now. Your student will be just fine no matter what brand of items you buy.

If you are in the position to purchase more expensive things, consider buying your child the off-brand instead, and use the remainder of the money toward donating more supplies to the school than what is on the list from the teacher. They ALWAYS need more than what they ask for. Tissues are like gold. Pencils seem like they get eaten. There is never enough glue. Never.

Please be mindful that teachers spend a lot of their own money on students, and if you can help them out in any way, they will be so grateful! Worry less about getting your child the cool stuff, and focus more on how you can help everyone in the class to feel included. You'll be ensuring that all of the students and teachers have a smooth school year if you can make any extra effort to help with supplies.

Have a wonderful year, LISD!