Talk about a stressful beginning to the long goodbye as we reorganized duffels at the check-in counter to avoid extra fees.

Luckily, those behind us were kind, going so far as to explain that they'd been in the same situation with their college-bound kids. Luckily, we didn't have to pay for a single overweight bag. Thanks, Southwest!

"Let's hope that's the most stress we have this weekend," my husband Andy said, as we made our way through security. Right!

Mel was the third child we were sending off to college and like the millions of other families taking freshman to school- joining a record number of college students, the National Center for Education Statistics reports - It can be stressful, not to mention an emotional rollercoaster - just like the admissions process.

Here's a how to survive:

1. Keep calm! If you are nervous, your child will be nervous too. So what if they are in a "forced triple." So what if they hate their roommate on sight.
2. Leave the younger siblings at home or with friends or family and focus on your college-bound child
3. Consider pre-ordering what you need at from a store like Bed, Bath and Beyond (don't forget those coupons!) so you can pick it up when you arrive-everything from plastic storage bins to an extra-thick mattress pad for that extra-long twin dorm bed to extra-long sheets for the dorm beds- at a store near your home or online. Then all you need to do is pick up and pay for the order when you arrive at the college destination.
4. Offer support but no opinions as you set up dorm rooms (loft or don't loft the bed?). Make runs to Target, the grocery store and local thrift shops. Parents are not allowed to complain about the money being spent, the time racing from store to store or your child's attitude. Try not to get into silly arguments.
5. This is not the time for parents-whether divorced or together-to argue among themselves. This is about your child.

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6. Keep smiling as you wend your way through sessions, receptions and picnics for parents, as well as the new freshmen, with advice on everything from not texting in class to "parenting from a distance," a lot different than when I went to college. A lot different, it seems, then when we took our first child to college.
7. Be prepared with a tool kit, duct tape, first aid kit and sewing kit.
8. Don't be insulted if your child prefers to have dinner with her new roommates rather than with you. Don't expect a lot of quality time.
9. Be ready to back off and leave if they give you the signals they don't want you there anymore.
10. Be prepared that your child might not cry when you leave.