Buying school supplies for a new term was always an adventure for my kids (one of them, at least) and me.

Jason loved school. He was a social butterfly, and was always ready for a new year and meeting up with old friends.

My younger son, Zach, well, not so much. At least not until he got to high school. In elementary and junior high, he had one good friend, and they were always together.

When the school supply lists were made available, usually in late July, we would plan a day of shopping. I would round up Jason (who was usually waiting by the car), hunt until I found Zach (who was anywhere but by the car), and we drove off with lists in hand ready to tackle the aisles of backpacks and notebooks.

One year I experimented and just brought home pre-made packages of school supplies that Mott’s put together. (The store sat on the downtown square, before Dollar General entered the scene).

Even though it was cheaper in the long run, I ended up returning one package. Jason wasn’t having any of that. Shopping for school supplies and picking out just the right folders was one of the highlights for him. It was a back-to-school ritual he wasn’t about to give up.

Zach would take whatever I bought him, stuff it into his backpack and scowl all the way to the car on school mornings.

At the store, there were always numerous types of lunchboxes to choose from. That’s when lunchboxes were cool. Today, kids either buy their meal from a variety of snack bar items on campus or carry their lunch in a thermal bag or tossed into their backpack.

The days of metal Dukes of Hazzard and Batman lunchboxes are gone. Nowadays, those are collector’s items. Unbelievable.

Then there were the plastic ones. They are -- for the most part -- gone as well.

We would go up and down the store aisles over and over again until Jason spotted just the right color folder. Teachers seemed more flexible in those days about school supplies. Kids had a choice of what pencils they wanted and what cartoon characters they could choose from to cover their folders.

There was only one choice of crayons. Nowadays, stores carry the “fat” crayons, iridescent ones, marker-like crayons and even those with glitter.

Even kids’ backpacks were different then.

Today, teachers request that students have backpacks with “no wheels.” Who ever heard of toting a backpack with wheels to school? In my day, those were called suitcases, and we didn’t bring suitcases to school.

I am amazed at some of the items kids bring now. When my boys were in elementary school, the supply list consisted of pencils, notebooks, folders and a box of Kleenex. My biggest decision was whether to bring tissues with or without lotion.

Today’s third-grade list contains 21 separate items -- and some of those have to be purchased in quantities.

Boy, Jason would have a field day. I wouldn’t be able to drag him out of the store today if we had to make all those choices.

Zach, well, not so much.

And this year, I am going to take my grandson, Landon, to buy first-grade school supplies. It’s been a long time since I waded through the aisles and aisles of choices.

But I know my grandson; he’s a lot like his father, Jason, and I am sure Landon will enjoy the experience as much as his daddy did. I can’t wait to get started.

Lisa Carnley is managing editor of the Lampasas Dispatch Record.