My kids thought I was crying when they graduated high school because I was proud of their accomplishments.

In as much as that was true, there were several other reasons I shed tears. Parents of inbound college students either know what I mean, or are about to experience all the emotions -- and expenses -- associated with sending a child off to college.

In between filling out FAFSA forms each semester while attempting to figure out the baffling lingo of student aid worksheets, there also is the long list of things your student “must have” when heading off to college.

For those who think the tax code is difficult to navigate for April 15 each year, get ready for the FAFSA. It includes pages and pages of income-related questions that all boil down to how much you are required to pay for your child’s education versus how much the goverment believes it is responsible for. And believe me, they believe they aren’t responsible for much.

Even though your child likely will have a meal plan for the days they spend on campus, most students want a refrigerator and a microwave for the times when they just can’t seem to make it to the chow hall or don’t like what is served there.

And then there are the bedsheets. They can’t be just bunk-bed size; they have to be extra-long bunk size to accommodate the cot-like sleeping platform commonly called the dorm “bed.”

And your child will have to have loads of toiletries. Because he or she will share a bathroom with myriad other students, your child will continuously run out of necessary items -- especially toilet paper. And it’s not because they are squandering it. Toiletries automatically become public domain.

With all the toothpaste and toilet paper you end up buying, it will feel like you are providing items for an entire football team. Multiply that by four (or sometimes five) years, and you might consider buying stock in Charmin or Scott.

Then there are the school supplies. Books are so expensive. You can spend several hundred dollars on one textbook, and then when you turn around to sell it back, you are lucky to get $10 for it. That hardly seems fair. My boys had several instances of books being required, then only being used once in the classroom.

Students also must have paper, notebooks, a backpack, pens, pencils, rulers -- all the typical school items. And buying them at a campus bookstore is much more expensive than going to WalMart. But the professors have specific items they request and -- surprise! -- they can only be purchased at college bookstores. I believe they must get some type of incentive (i.e., kickback) to encourage students to buy items at the college stores.

And when you visit the bookstore, since it is your first time on campus and you are so proud of your student, that’s when you experience the initial foray into purchasing bumper stickers, T-shirts, caps, coffee mugs and anything else college-related. But in about a year’s time, I can virtually guarantee you will be sick of seeing these items attached to your car, or wearing or drinking from them.

Your student also will want to get into the spirit of college, so they will have to have bumper stickers, T-shirts, caps and coffee mugs as well.

I think the school ought to just give these items to parents since they will be spending so much money on parking permits and the parking tickets your student is sure to get at more than $25 a pop. Campus police will give tickets for anything.

My son once got a ticket (one of many over the years) for parking “backward” in the parking lot -- even though there is no sign that says you have to park “forward.” Good thing my insurance rates weren’t adjusted based on his tickets.

So many expenses are associated with the initial trek to college. It can be mind-numbing at times.

But when all is said and done, it will be worth it.

At least you will think so until the parent loans begin to kick in. I’ll be paying on those until my grandson is in college. And that’s no joke.

Lisa Carnley is managing editor of the Lampasas Dispatch Record.