Many individuals tend to be reactive to the needs of others. They wait until things need to be addressed, or they become an issue before they take the necessary steps to resolve these problems before they occur. That appliance “on the fritz” may not receive a service call until it is no longer working at all, rather than when it first begins showing signs of needing repair. Unfortunately, the need to seek medical care for their child is often not on a parent’s mind until the child is very ill. As the summer winds down and teachers are preparing their classrooms for the upcoming year, there are preparations that need to be made by parents as well. Of course the trips to the local stores and online shopping for school supplies are an important part of a successful start to the school year, but there is another preparation that often is not met with as much emphasis, even though the ramifications can be much greater. We are talking about well-child exams, which should be part of every parent’s back-to-school routine for their children. These exams not only ensure vaccines are being administered on schedule, but they also evaluate a child’s growth and development so any necessary interventions can be made to ensure children are on the right track developmentally.