TEENS: It's prom time, and millions of teens are preparing to attend the grandest of all school-sponsored events. As a senior at Emerson High School in Gary, Ind., the only money I needed to have a wonderful experience was about $75. I already owned a dark suit, white shirt, dark tie and black dress shoes. I didn't need to rent or buy any items of attire. My only expenses were for food after the prom at an upscale restaurant and a flower corsage for my date.

Unfortunately, my date's expenses were significantly higher. She didn't possess a prom dress, so she and her mother went to Gordon's Department Store, and after about two hours, purchased a beautiful formal gown. Of course, a new pair of shoes was required to go with the gown. Then she needed an appointment for a fancy new hairdo for the occasion. Her final purchase was the flower for the lapel of my jacket. I do not know what her total expenses were, but they were probably much more than mine.

As a high school administrator in the Garden Grove (Calif.) school district, I had the pleasure of attending many proms. When talking with the parents of the beautiful prom coeds, many expressed surprise at how much more prom expenses were compared to when they first attended a prom. Parents also noted the vast difference in cost for a daughter to attend the prom than for their son to attend. But all agreed the money was well spent.

This prom season, Visa conducted a survey to discover the average amount of money girls and their families will spend to attend this year's prom. The credit card company conducted a telephone poll of 3,000 families across the country. It was determined that the average family of a daughter attending this year's prom would spend a whopping $1,139, with a focus on attire being the leader in spending. Some families with income under $50,000 will spend as much as $1,245. The percentage of expenses that the parents plan to pay was about 59 percent of the total, while the daughter saved, or earned the rest.

This lofty price tag is shocking when compared to a 2008 survey by Seventeen magazine that found that families of girls were planning to spend $566 to make sure their beautiful daughters were even more beautiful for that special evening. Why has the cost of attending the prom become so expensive? According to Visa, the girls have been inspired by celebrities on the red carpet and influenced by couture photos, so to get the "look" American girls plan to spend more when they shop for the prom this year.

However, some communities have shops that have beautiful formal prom dresses that were worn once or twice that can be rented, or purchased at a much-reduced price. Some organizations even see to it that girls who cannot afford a prom dress will be given a little help so they also can shine at the prom! Girls, check to see if your community has such a wonderful shop and have fun at the prom!

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.