Parents everywhere are scrambling as high school seniors prepare for commencement. The days are filled with endless to-do lists.

Not only are we busy, our checking accounts and credit cards are taking major hits. Prom nights, never cheap, are now outrageous. There have been other expenses, too, for caps and gowns, class rings, senior pictures, banquets, picnics-you name it.

The kids and their parents are stressed.

Moms and dads worry about everything, too, from what their child is wearing to who he's hanging out with to his personal safety. We've all heard horror stories about drinking and driving and high school seniors who never made it to college.

Parents can find solace. Our parents, after all, went through the same ordeal. It helps to remember, thank goodness, that graduating from high school only happens once. If you have more than one child, try to think of the first graduation as an enlightening experience.

Remember, too, that children grow up no matter what we do as parents. Try to put all of the stress, fussing and stewing aside. Graduating from high school-a major rite of passage-is going to happen no matter what we do. Just accept it and go with the flow.

As a parent, the years of effort and love have come to fruition. Our kid is graduating from school (and he isn't really a kid anymore).

It can be bittersweet.

Our job as a parent has been fulfilled. We, too, can celebrate and bask in the glory.

Our child has reached a milestone. And so have we.