Right now, while high school seniors are being encouraged to work on college applications, 40% of parents should be asking themselves whether their son or daughter is a good risk for college next fall.

That's right, 40% of parents should be asking whether college is the best next step. Then, the hard part -- they should be talking with their sons and daughters about it before investing --or worse, borrowing -- college tuition money.

Here's why. According to the U.S. Department of Education, among college freshmen who graduated in the bottom 40% of their high school class, 76 of 100 won't earn a college diploma, even if given 8-1/2 years.

Have you and your senior talked about options yet? Have you compared his thoughts to your own?

With prom season on the horizon, the New York Times reports that -- at least on Long Island, which may not be an indicator of anything -- the market for prom-related items like clothes, tanning, hair, nails, tickets and transportation isn't flinching at the recession. While sales figures seem to be in line with 2008, the paper also notes that there are, "plenty of signs that spending on these events is causing families financial strain."

As a parent and a children's therapist, all of this inclines me to lose my lunch. It also makes me wonder whether these parents or teenagers have any idea how thoroughly they've been had.

The truth is that if you haven't sorted out your own values then it's probably too late by prom time. Parents who still worry about having the "right" clothes themselves, who believe that being a good parent means giving your child the "best ____" (fill in the blank - Christmas, kindergarten, summer camp, wardrobe, college) don't have a lot to contribute when it comes to helping kids deal with a culture that has been hoodwinked by competition and possessions.

Like so many things in life, a light touch and a good attitude may make more of a difference to your child's happiness than how deep your pockets happen to be.

It's hard to imagine that anything having to do with romance is actually cheaper in France, but apparently, dating is!

The salon -- a cultural institution that dates back to 17th century Paris -- may be gaining momentum in Les Etats- Unis. The salon originally evolved from the French court. Aristocratic and upper bourgeoisie women ran the salons from their homes and intermingled writers, artists, philosophers and patrons.

Jamie Cat Callan, author of "French Women Don't Sleep Alone -- Pleasurable Secrets to Finding Love" (2009) has looked closely at romance in France and noticed some striking differences.

French women don't date. They meet men in the context of a group of friends. Dinner parties are regular events for mixing and mingling. They also travel with a group of friends -- a Coterie -- to bars, museums and concerts. As everyone knows, French women dress up -- although not everyone knows that they also dress under -- that is, they wear sexy lingerie -- everywhere. They walk. They sit in cafes reading books. They meet men in museums, bars, bookstores and parties and they chat up everyone. Callan also says that love in France is slower.

Forbes ranks the world's young royals -- those between age 18 and 35 and still unmarried -- according to power. As Forbes measures it, power is based on international web and media presence and family wealth.

Looking at the young royals (and who doesn't sneak a peak?), Princes William and Harry rank numbers 1 and 2, respectively. No surprise there. Their first cousin, Zara Philips is number 3. The British press is gossip-hungry and dedicated and the royal family obliges. The Crown Prince of Dubai (Sheikh Hamdan etc..) is number 4. Then we're back to the British royal family with Princess Beatrice and her sister Princess Eugenie, who rank number 5 and number 7. Princess Sirivannavari of Thailand is number 6. The prince and princess of Monaco snag the numbers 8 and 9 spots, and the top ten rounds out with Prince Azim of Brunei.

Tough financial times are affecting lots of people in different ways. Maybe you've got college loans coming due and there's no sign of a job. Maybe your colleague was just laid off and you wonder whether you'll be next. Perhaps your spouse's hours have been cut back and you're trimming the budget -- again.

Sometimes the decisions that people have to make are heartbreaking. Beloved pets are being turned in at animal shelters. Adult children are moving in with parents -- and older parents are moving in with adult children -- when no one would choose to be living together. A client told me today that she didn't have enough money to pay for the costumes for her daughters' dance recital, something they had been looking forward to for months. It isn't life-shattering, but for that single mother and her daughters, unless someone is able to help, it's a disappointment they won't forget.

If you're one of many going through tough financial times, be sure to ask yourself: how well am I coping?

If you're taking more than one short trip this spring, the three-for-two deals that have sprung up everywhere are enticing. Be sure to read the fine print and do your homework. As they say in the auction business, caveat emptor (let the buyer beware).

As I explained in an earlier rant on the topic of rewards cards, things are more complicated than they seem. Where the third night free package is concerned, be on the lookout for possible complexities. Don't "assume" anything while traveling these days. In the case of these deals, don't assume that you can walk in off the street and get a "qualifying night." If for example, you are planning a three night stay at a Clarion, you may not have the necessary qualifying nights for the third night to be free. In some cases, it may be necessary to book your room through the rewards program. In others, it may be necessary to go through the CIA.

Progress in getting the American household to go green has been slow. As recently as March of 2008, Lee Bodner, executive director of ecoAmerica told USA Today that they had, "come up against a brick wall with Americans." Despite facts and figures, only a small percentage of Americans were jumping on the green bandwagon.

If there is going to be a tipping point for households going green, it may just be this spring, when Good Housekeeping announces its second Seal of Approval. The original Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval has been around since 1909, and has been coveted by marketers of home products for a century. Celebrating its 100-year anniversary, the new second seal will be green.

From the viewpoint of a clinician who has 36 years of experience, primarily in children's services, Dr. Phil McGraw has done some nice work with Nadya Suleman this week. Inconvenient though it may be, reality is a good thing. That said, is Dr. Phil going in the wrong direction by positioning himself as the family fundraiser?

Dr. Phil proposes recruiting hands-on and financial support for 14 children who are going to need consistent care for most of the next two decades. At a time when so many Americans are losing their jobs and homes, does it make any sense for volunteer time and charitable contributions to be spent this way?

Beyond the financial, from a child welfare viewpoint a patchwork of volunteer services is not a family.

Now that the temperature has soared above 40 degrees here in northern Florida, I'm hoping to spend less of my winter vacation in Wal-Mart.

I've always looked at the Wal-Mart where I live on Cape Cod as just a store the Wal-Marts in Florida, the kind that have risen like churches on main routes, are surreal.

To begin with, many stores are open 24 hours/day. (But beware, if you're expecting to use the pharmacy, optician, portrait studio, or auto care center, you'll be much more restricted.)

This means that you could pretty much do everything at Wal-Mart. First, take the car for an oil change. Then, enter the main part of the store in time for your beauty parlor appointment. Plan to drop off your prescription while you have your portrait done. Then it's on to your banking, followed by your eye appointment. By now, it's past time for lunch, so head right into the Blimpie Xpress (in the U.S. of Wal-Mart you can gain another size fast).

After lunch, it's time to check the Gift Registry (now that everyone has been laid off, Wal-Mart has replaced the Pottery Barn as the place to register) to see what your friend has selected and nearby you can have your watch battery replaced.

Keep your eye on the clock, the kids will be home soon and your still have to buy the craft supplies for the school fundraiser, cards for Valentine's Day, and a few articles of clothing. Last, of course, you will do all your grocery shopping and pick up flowers.

Think you missed anything? It isn't exercise; you've walked two miles criss-crossing the store.

Most of what we're hearing and reading these days is about the desperate need to stimulate the economy. It seems that if consumers don't start consuming again that the whole economy will collapse. As you walk out the door of Wal-Mart (having saved a phenomenal amount of money shopping there), turn around and look behind you.

Can we possibly need all this stuff?