08/18/2026
Okay Porch Council-Is it possible to be incredibly happy and a little sad at the exact same time?
Because back-to-school season is here, and parents across Ohio and West Virginia are standing in the kitchen thinking:
“Thank goodness.”
Followed immediately by:
“Wait… why is the house so quiet?”
The kiddos are heading back to school, which means you may finally get to drink an entire cup of coffee while it’s still hot, use the bathroom without an audience, and stop making seven different meals before lunch because apparently nobody in the house likes the same food.
One wants chicken nuggets.
One wants a sandwich—but not that kind of bread.
One has decided vegetables are a personal attack.
And someone is eating cereal directly out of a mixing bowl at 10:30 in the morning.
So yes, there may be a small hallelujah.
But there may also be a lump in your throat when the backpacks go on, the shoes get tied, and those little people you’ve spent all summer feeding, chauffeuring, reminding, correcting, and occasionally negotiating with head back out into the world.
Back-to-school season can be happy, sad, exciting, exhausting, and just quiet enough to make you realize how quickly they’re growing up.
It may also be a good time to review your family’s auto insurance, homeowners insurance, renters insurance, and life insurance.
Maybe your teenager is driving to school for the first time. Maybe your college student is moving into a dorm or renting an apartment. Maybe laptops, electronics, and other belongings are leaving the house with them.
Life changes quickly. Your insurance coverage should keep up.
The Burgess Truth:
You can miss them terribly and still celebrate the fact that nobody has asked you for a snack in 22 minutes.
Here’s to a safe and successful school year for families in Alliance, Akron, Canton, North Canton, Wadsworth, and throughout Ohio and West Virginia.
Now go enjoy that hot coffee.
You earned it.