Being privileged to be a parent has undoubtedly been the most joyful thing in my life. This past weekend, our eldest daughter Sarah graduated from high school. As we joined the 3,000+ attendees for the graduation, I saw many familiar faces from the era of day care, Barbie, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It brought back memories, but more importantly, it drove home just how much these kids have grown and matured into exceptional young people.

High school is not what it was when we baby boomers were kids. The homework is tougher, hours are longer, and rules abound. Students take SAT's four and five times, stay up until 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning doing homework, manage a myriad of extracurricular activities, and, like their parents, deal with puzzling administrative guidelines on a daily basis. Yet, they are clearly cut out to be the leaders of tomorrow.

It is impossible to truly say how proud I am of Sarah and her accomplishments. She has strong streaks of common sense and open-mindedness. And this is the case with many of her friends as well. It is a true pleasure just to be around them, to feel their energy and enthusiasm, to listen as they advise one another and help each other through the personal challenges that inevitably accompany teendom. Indeed, we are in good hands for the future.