Last month millions of college students went away for spring break. For most, the good times will be a fond memory. Unfortunately for some, the vacation will be nothing more than a lost week---a blurry haze of drunken excess, or worse.

The tradition of spring break became nationally popular in the swinging 60s with the release of the hit movie Where the Boys Are. In 1986 MTV launched its first spring break special. The images it broadcast only reinforced spring break's reputation for alcoholic and sexual excess. Last year's explicit movie Spring Breakers took violence, binge drinking and risky sexual behavior to new extremes.

For those of us with children in high school or younger, the thought of the future day when our 'babies' venture off to spring break may freak us out. The best advice we can give our kids is to be law abiding and not drink, do drugs or engage in loose sexual behavior. But since temptation is always present, we can also acknowledge their inner wisdom and virtues to help keep them safe and maintain a sense of respectful behavior. For example, we can encourage them to practice moderation and modesty, two virtues that empower positive choices yet still allow a little wiggle room to have fun.