For those young couples with toddlers scampering around the living room and getting into trouble, have no fear. These days surely are numbered. The kids will grow older. Eventually, they'll be able to clean up after themselves, walk without the help of a stroller and actually assume some responsibility. With a little luck, they'll blossom into fine adults when they'll become involved in their community and raise children of their own. Just image, you a grandparent.

That's what's happening with my four kids: Tom, 22, Erin, 19, Katie, 18, and Dan, 16. They're young adults now. They're good, smart kids with bright futures who, with hard work, perseverance and determination will succeed in life.

But for the time being, one of our main focuses is and will remain on a primary objective: getting through college.

Recently, we drove the 130 miles to the cornfields of central Illinois to get Katie settled in her new home at Illinois State University. Three days later, our van headed west, where after a 3-1/2-hour drive, we pulled onto the beautiful campus of the University of Iowa where Erin will start her second year. Next month, Tom, the Journal's top photographer and layout artist, will begin his last year at Columbia College in downtown Chicago.

The baby of the family, Dan, began his junior year at Prospect High School within the last week or so.

Katie's dream is to become a history teacher. Erin, a political science major, has set her sights on some day becoming an attorney. Tom, it looks like, will enjoy a career in photojournalism. As for Danny, a gifted writer, it's a little too early to tell what profession he will pursue. The world awaits all four of them.

One of our biggest challenges, like that of millions of other Americans, is how to pay for college. The costs are enormous. There's Iowa's out-of-state tuition that boosts annual costs by 75%. Columbia College, a private institution, also has a staggering tuition price. Illinois State is the bargain of the three with an annual room, board and tuition bill of around $15,000.

For those whose children have graduated from college, your major financial challenges as related to education are over. For those whose kids are in college, the struggle will remain until at least graduation day. If there are loans to pay, the stress will continue for years to come. Thank goodness, however, for grants and student aid such as Stafford Loans and Work Study programs, and in our case relatively low-interest college loans that can be obtained from private lending institutions. Not only are these type of loans available, but they don't have to start being paid off until after graduation The problem is that it will take the student years to pay them off. A good job after college, therefore, is essential.

So for those parents whose little kids spill things on the floor, make a mess of the family room, even crawl over to the dog dish and take a bite or two out of Fido's lunch, enjoy these simple days with your sons and daughters. There are plenty of big challenges that lie just around the bend.