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[Replaced_Texan]

Everyone had a car, and there was some competition on accessories, but thank god for ugly school uniforms:

I should have known it would be Plano.

It's the end of the day at Plano West Senior High School, and teenagers are pouring into the parking lot.

One jumps into a BMW M3. Another takes off in a Jaguar X-Type. A Land Rover joins the pack.

Senior Jodi Payson drives a black Hummer H2. She carries a Louis Vuitton purse and a credit card with no limit.

Last year, Jodi was among the privileged class at Plano West that sets the unspoken benchmark that many other students – and therefore their parents – strive to attain.

Plano West stands out for its students' affluence and their academic achievements, but it is as representative as any Collin County school in that parents say they feel pressure, from their children and their surroundings, to meet the highest lifestyle standards.

Competition starts early. Parents try to outdo one another on birthday parties with limousine chauffeurs and costumed characters.

By the time they're teenagers, children can shop on their own, which takes the spending to a whole new level.

They want bigger toys, including cars, and they won't settle for the type of jalopy their parents drove when they were 16.

This area is one of the wealthiest in the country, and it is also among the youngest. About three in 10 residents of Collin County are younger than 18.

Parents from all income levels say the urge to spend is most powerful when it comes to their children.

They might be in debt up to their eyebrows, but their child will have a cellphone and a Blackberry and a luxury car, said Mia Mbroh, a parent educator for the national nonprofit counseling organization Practical Parent Education in Plano.

"They do it out of love, and they don't want their kids to be the odd man out," she said. "Adults want to fit in as much as children."