Seventeen years ago, I gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl. She grew up surrounded by love and adoration. With every passing year her smile became brighter, her heart became more passionate. She is a typical adolescent - full of spark, spunk; crying one moment and laughing the next.

And now, her days under my care are numbered. Soon, she will be off to college. But, before she does leave, she has many memories to make. She has already begun to count down the days until her first prom; her dress, her hair, her nails, her first limousine ride, her night to be Cinderella. While I know she'll leave my home smiling and beautiful, I want to make sure she'll return the same way.

And so, my thoughts turn to you - the friend of a friend of a friend who I really do not know. I must ask a tremendous favor of you. Mind you, I rarely ask favors from people I do not know, especially a favor of such magnitude, but I have no choice.

I am asking, I am begging, I am pleading ... do not serve your child alcohol, do not serve my child alcohol, do not have a cocktail party before they leave for their special night, do not pack a cooler, talk to your driver, do not say it's okay. They're only children. They're too young to drink and, certainly, they're too young to die. Bad things do happen to good people. You're the adult, and you should know what's right and legal, and what's not.

Please, ask your child lots of questions (I will ask mine), enforce the rules (I will enforce mine), and think about the tomorrows you want for your child. While I realize we can't be everywhere and we can't watch over them all the time, I also know that, most times, when we as their parents make the right decisions, we make it easier for them to follow.

A Concerned Parent