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School starts back next week, a big schedule change for every student and parent in Troup County.

It means early mornings, getting kids out of bed, making breakfast — all of the “fun” things that come with school starting back first thing in the morning. There’s the process of packing bookbags, picking up last minute clothes and final missing items from school supply lists.

All of it sounds exhausting, and we think most parents would agree that it is.

With all of that in mind, we hope parents and families will start preparing now.

That means setting bedtimes now, rather than waiting until Sunday night. It might be a fight — especially for younger kids — but it’s probably worth doing it now rather than waiting until Sunday to reinforce bedtimes.

Start a morning routine now. Start practicing getting up, getting ready, eating breakfast and making it outside of the bus (or to the car). See how long it takes and get into a groove by the time Monday gets here.

Work with your children to find a spot for all of their school essentials each morning, and make sure they don’t get left behind.

It may sound silly to go through the whole routine early, but it’s very important to those for little children. It also can help everyone adjust to make sure students aren’t late on the first day of class.

The first day of school will be here before we know it, so get ready now. On Monday, you’ll be glad you did.