DEAR ABBY: You once published a beautiful short poem having to do with the value of reading to children. Encore, encore! -- MOMMY IN TACOMA

DEAR MOMMY: With pleasure. It is from a poem titled "The Reading Mother" and was written by Strickland Gillilan.

"You may have tangible wealth untold;

"Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.

"Richer than I you can never be --

"I had a mother who read to me."

DEAR ABBY: I need some advice -- fast! My daughter, "Julie," is being married in July to a wonderful young man I'll call "Denny," who is also an only child. Julie and Denny planned a small, intimate wedding with close friends and family to be held in our prize-winning flower garden. The guest list was limited to 50, so my sister is catering the happy day.

Now, suddenly, Denny's mother bought another 200 invitations and mailed them out! At last count, we have 180 guests! I thought the guest list was up to the bride and groom. Not only is there not enough room in our garden, but no parking! We live in a small, gated community, and our covenants do not allow for that many cars. Must we find another venue for the wedding or can we tell mom-in-law-to-be she was out of line? -- FUTURE MOTHER-IN-LAW

DEAR FUTURE M.I.L.: What Denny's mother did was extremely presumptuous. However, this is not your problem, so please don't make it so.

Inform Denny's mother that entertaining more than 50 wedding guests on your property is forbidden by the codes, covenants and restrictions in your community and that she must now call every one of the guests she invited and rescind the invitation. Then alert the security personnel that only those on the original guest list are to be admitted.

Please understand that you and your daughter have my deepest sympathy, because this is only the opening salvo in the power struggle that's to come with this nervy woman -- so be prepared.

DEAR ABBY: I am 26 years old and, aside from my wedding day, I have never worn makeup. Several people have told me that "every woman needs makeup." I have pretty good skin, so I just brush them off and continue going without.

Lately, however, I have noticed that my cheeks and forehead are a bit more red than the rest of my face, and I would like to try some foundation or something to help even out my complexion. I'm not looking to go from zero to 60; I just want to start with the basics. I'm just not sure where to start.

I am wary of beauty consultants who will try to sell me overpriced stuff that I don't need. Also, I am afraid my husband, who has been fine with my "au naturel" appearance, will wonder why I'm all of a sudden interested in makeup. We have a great marriage, but he has mentioned in the past how glad he is that I don't wear makeup because it is messy and time-consuming. Can you give me some advice? -- MAKEUP-CHALLENGED IN TEXAS

DEAR MAKEUP-CHALLENGED: I'll gladly share some important beauty advice with you. It's something I learned in my 20s.

When it comes to your skin, your best friend is a good dermatologist. He or she can determine whether this change in your complexion is "cosmetic" or a symptom of an underlying medical problem. It could be something as simple as an allergy to the soap you are using, but you need to find out what is causing the irritation rather than trying to cover it up.

DEAR ABBY: Prom and graduation season has arrived with all of the celebrating that goes along with it. So please print my letter for parents and teens to read -- perhaps together.

My daughter was an honor student all through high school. We had a close relationship. I always made sure she knew she could come to me with any problem, whether it be her grades, alcohol or sex. On the issue of drinking and driving, I made her understand that wherever she was, I would gladly pick her up -- no questions asked. I have heard that many parents make the same offer to their children.

I firmly believed that my daughter would call me if she needed to. However, she recently decided she could drive home after drinking what she considered to be "a safe amount of alcohol." Unfortunately, she struck a utility pole on a sharp turn and flipped her car over. By the grace of God, she and her friend escaped with minor injuries. But, as you know, many people don't survive such a horrific accident.

Abby, many parents say, "It won't happen to my child." Teens think they are invincible, but tragedy happens to people from all walks of life and all kinds of families. I feel blessed that both girls are still alive to appreciate their second lease on life, but it makes me sad to think about how many kids don't return home each night. Can you comment, Abby? -- GRATEFUL MOM IN CONNECTICUT

DEAR GRATEFUL MOM: Not a year goes by that we don't hear news reports about drinking-and-driving tragedies -- and they are not limited to teens. Because of that, I am pleased to print your letter.

What happened to your daughter illustrates that people who have been drinking are not always aware to what extent it has impaired their judgment. And it's not limited to drinking and driving. People under the influence have been known to make more than one kind of life-changing miscalculation because they are tipsy.

Your daughter and her friend were indeed lucky. Not only could one or both of them have been killed, either of them could have suffered a lifelong injury from that escapade.

Parents: Please discuss this letter with your teen today!

DEAR ABBY: I am worried about our little ones who hear bad language on a daily basis. How is that going to go over when they reach school age?

I'll give you an example. My 3-year-old great-grandson called his mother a "dork." When I commented that he must have learned that at child care, she said, "No, he heard it from me." I was appalled.

Then there was the adorable, precocious 2-year-old who said, "Oh, #@*%!" when I dropped something. I looked at her grandmother, who informed me that the little girl hears it from her other grandma all the time.

How can the parents of these precious little children allow this to happen? How do you think it will go over when they call their teacher a "dork" or use expletives in the classroom and on the playground? -- RED-FACED GRAMMA, McHENRY, ILL.

DEAR GRAMMA: For better or worse, children model their behavior on what they hear at home. You can't blame children for not knowing what they haven't been taught. But I can tell you this, no teachers worth their salt will allow a student to be disrespectful in the classroom and let it go. And the person who will suffer is the student.

DEAR ABBY: I am 49 and have been dating a 26-year-old woman for about five months. We have a great time together and have talked about love and being in a long-term relationship. However, I am afraid that I am setting her up for an unhappy and disappointing midlife as I may require adult care about the same time her parents do.

She becomes upset when I try to bring the subject up and asserts that she's willing to accept the responsibilities associated with my golden years because she loves me. I'm not sure how much of her response is rooted in her love for me and how much may be the result of a lack of life experience. If I stay with her, am I being selfish? -- OLD ENOUGH TO BE HER DAD IN MICHIGAN

DEAR OLD ENOUGH TO BE HER DAD: Not having met you, I can't be sure. How are the genetics in your family? Did your parents live to a ripe old age without falling apart? How would you feel to be raising teenagers when you're in your 60s? Do you think you can keep up with them -- and her?

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to love. I have heard of many devoted May-September marriages. But regardless of age, both parties should go into it with their eyes wide open -- and that includes the two of you.

DEAR ABBY: I'm a 20-year-old woman who has always wanted to live near the ocean. I recently had the good fortune to visit Australia and loved it so much I started looking for work while I was there. I have been feeling depressed since returning home knowing I have found someplace I would love to spend the rest of my life.

My problem is I am engaged, and my future husband doesn't share my enthusiasm for the ocean. We live in Colorado, and he loves the mountains. He never traveled as a boy and has no idea how addicting it can be.

I love him, and he fulfills all I could hope for in a husband. But I don't know if he can share the same love for a place that I can't get out of my mind. Is this relationship doomed? -- WANDERLUST IN LITTLETON

DEAR WANDERLUST: Only you can answer that. You are 20 and define yourself as someone who has wanderlust. Before you commit to marriage to someone who may not share your spirit of adventure, you owe it to yourself and to him to see more of the world and get it out of your system. Remember the movie "The Wizard of Oz"? It took seeing the Emerald City to truly appreciate Kansas.

DEAR ABBY: I have a co-worker I'll call "Linda" who is constantly on the phone making personal calls. She is chronically late to work and never gets her work caught up. My problem is she just told me she has listed me as a reference on dozens of job applications!

I take pride in being honest, so how do I come up with positive things to say about her if any potential employers call? -- CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE, CHILLICOTHE, OHIO

DEAR CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE: Linda should have asked you for permission before listing you as a reference. Tell her she must stop doing it immediately.

Should anyone call you to ask about her, tell the person that you are her co-worker and the dates that you worked together, but nothing more. If they want more details, they should be referred to the office manager.