DEAR ABBY: I'm 19. My boyfriend and I have been together for a year and a half. Eventually we want to be married. Our relationship is great. We are committed to each other in every way. Of course, we have our disagreements, but neither of us has ever cheated.

I'm considering marriage now rather than later because I will be moving to Florida for school next fall, and he won't be coming with me right away.

Abby, is it silly to think about marriage as a way to ensure that the distance between us won't tear up apart? Or should I wait till I finish school? -- THINKING ABOUT MARRIAGE

DEAR THINKING: Wait until you finish school. The college years represent a significant intellectual and emotional growth spurt for most people. There is the possibility that by the time you've graduated, you won't be the same person you are today –- and neither will he. Please don't be afraid of this. Growth is positive.

DEAR ABBY: My husband's niece is being married out of state. I know we will receive a family invitation that will include our two teenage daughters. Our older daughter has a previous commitment. Our younger daughter will know only seven relatives at the wedding (including my husband and me), so she asked if she can bring a friend.

My husband says we shouldn't take anyone else because it is a family invitation. He feels his family shouldn't waste their money paying for dinner for a stranger.

I think he is wrong. At many weddings, several invited guests don't attend.

I know it would be tacky to bring an extra person, but they are inviting four people and only four people would attend. My daughter could have company on the trip and a friend her own age at the wedding.

Please answer ASAP. The invitation will arrive soon. -- WAITING FOR AN ANSWER

DEAR WAITING: Your thinking is logical. However, to be absolutely certain that no one would be offended, ask the mother of the bride if your child's friend would be welcome.

DEAR ABBY: I just got off the phone with my 14-year-old niece, "Megan." What I found disturbing was the fact that she was home alone waiting for the tile man to come to the house. Her parents knew he was coming and had instructed her to stay home to let him in. Megan's dad suggested that she have a friend over while the tile man was working.

I feel this situation is potentially too dangerous for a girl Megan's age to handle. Am I right? -- CONCERNED IN NORTHBROOK, ILLINOIS

DEAR CONCERNED: Unless Megan's parents had used the tile man before and knew him to be trustworthy, I agree that your niece was placed in a vulnerable position. It shouldn't have happened.

While there may be safety in numbers, the girl's father had no guarantee that a friend would be available. Please share your concerns with Megan's parents if you haven't already done so.

What teens need to know about sex, drugs, AIDS, and getting along with peers and parents is in "What Every Teen Should Know." To order, send a business-size, self-addressed envelope, plus check or money order for $5 (U.S. funds only) to: Dear Abby, Teen Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Postage is included.)

DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend, "Larry," and I have been together four years. Two years ago, his mother moved into the same apartment complex.

Every weekend, Larry's mother walks over to our apartment and bangs on the door. If we don't answer, she peeks in the windows. If she spots a light on in our apartment, she goes back to hers and starts calling nonstop.

We are trapped! Weekends are our quiet time, and Larry has asked his mother to call before coming over. She ignores his request.

I like to sleep late on Saturday and Sunday. I'm tempted to say something to her the next time she pounds on our door uninvited and wakes us, but I need to be sure she will listen and know I am serious. Any suggestions? -- TRAPPED IN MELBOURNE, FLA.

DEAR TRAPPED: Your boyfriend's mother has the hide of a rhino. She sees her son as an extension of herself, so according to her logic, why should she be shut out?

Your best bet would be to move to a security building where this woman will not have the kind of access to you that she does now. Make it "Larry's idea," because if his mother gets the impression that you're standing between her and her "cub," she'll try to devour you.

DEAR ABBY: I would like to take this opportunity to thank the unnamed heroes who provide hospice care. They are well aware that, in spite of the many gestures of compassion and the kindness they bestow, the patient to whom they have become attached is eventually going to die. Yet that never stops hospice workers from being there for their patients and their patients' families.

Hospice workers make sure the patient doesn't experience pain, is emotionally supported, and that the caregivers have time to run errands and take much-needed breaks.

When the patient passes away, it's the hospice workers who comfort family members and friends. My own family was blessed with three wonderful ladies and a priest who were there to the end for my grandmother. I will always be grateful for their emotional and spiritual support.

I hope my letter will encourage other families facing the terminal illness of a loved one to grant him or her quality of life by allowing that person to die with the dignity that hospice care provides. Sign me ... GRATEFUL IN OKLAHOMA

DEAR GRATEFUL: Please accept my deepest sympathy for the loss of your beloved grandmother.

I have long been a supporter of hospice care. It provides physician services, nurses, home health aides, social workers, clergy, specially trained volunteers and bereavement counselors. As long as a patient is eligible, hospice is covered by Medicare, most private insurers and, in most states, Medicaid.

For more information about hospice care, contact one of your local hospice programs. You physician can refer you. In addition, call the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) toll-free: (800) 658-8898, or visit the Web site, � HYPERLINK "http://www.nhpco.org" ��www.nhpco.org�, for information about and referrals to local hospice programs.

For everything you need to know about wedding planning, order "How to Have a Lovely Wedding." Send a business-size, self-addressed envelope, plus check or money order for $5 (U.S. funds only) to: Dear Abby, Wedding Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Postage is included.)

DEAR ABBY: I am in my 30s. I have not lived at home for 10 years; however, my parents sold the family home a few months ago, and I got very depressed when the sale became final.

My parents are in excellent health and live nearby. I am grieving, but I don't know why. My brothers and sisters and I grew up in that house, and we all feel a real sense of loss.

Maybe I'm having trouble getting used to the idea that time marches on and that all good things eventually end. Also, we're not getting together as often as we used to when we gathered at the house.

Can you suggest anything that will help me move along with my life? I want to focus on positive things and not look back for something that is gone. -- GRIEVING FOR THE HOUSE

DEAR GRIEVING: The house was a symbol of your childhood. Now that it is gone, in a sense, so is your childhood. That may be a sad thought, but dwell on the positive. You have the rest of your life to live as an adult, with all the guaranteed rights and privileges that go along with it. If the family isn't gathering as often as it used to, consider starting new family traditions. Perhaps it's time for you and your siblings to trade off hosting holiday celebrations. Look at it this way: Nothing stays the same. Sometimes it gets better and better.

DEAR ABBY: I am a 24-year-old mother of a beautiful 5-year-old daughter, "Donna." I was married to her father for a year. When we divorced, Donna and I relocated 600 miles away to move in with my new boyfriend. A year later, I realized that the relationship was going nowhere, so Donna and I returned to our hometown.

Four months later, I met "Gary." We've been together for two years now. Gary loves Donna and she loves him. However, he recently told me he has no intention of marrying me. (And like an idiot, I continue to let him spend the night.)

Donna cries when Gary and I fight, and now I'm afraid that if I leave him, Donna will have major abandonment issues and not trust men when she is older.

I know I am not being fair to my daughter, and I worry about whether it's too late to make things better for her. I don't want to give up dating for good, but I feel hatred toward Gary every time I think about how easy it would be for him to pack up and never see us again. I hate the fact that I let this happen and that there's nothing I can do to change it. I love Donna and would give my life for her, but I am confused because if I didn't have her, I would have no problem with my relationship with Gary. It just seems so unfair.

Will my daughter resent me for the selfish decision I have made? -- MIXED-UP MOM IN MISSISSIPPI

DEAR MOM: That remains to be seen. As it stands, you have had a flash of insight about your lifestyle and your responsibilities as a mother.

The time has come to start thinking like a mature adult. That means putting your daughter first and not rushing into intimate relationships. If I were you, I'd consider taking a sanity break from men for a while. When you resume, do not introduce your daughter to the people you're dating until you are sure they are sincere and honorable.

P.S. Since Gary has no intention of guaranteeing a stable future for you and your child, end the relationship. This may seem harsh, but it will be less painful in the long run.

Abby shares more than 100 of her favorite recipes in two booklets: "Abby's Favorite Recipes" and "More Favorite Recipes by Dear Abby." Send a business-size, self-addressed envelope, plus check or money order for $10 (U.S. funds)

to: Dear Abby -- Cookbooklet Set, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Postage is included in price.)