Dear Annie: I am planning to go away to school in the fall. I'll only be an hour from home and will visit every available weekend. I'll be living with my grandparents, who are 10 minutes from the campus. However, these things don't seem to appease my mother.

Mom wants me to go to the local community college and live at home. I have a free ride for my first year, so it isn't about money. She has told me she won't pay for any of my schooling, and I agree I should pay for it myself.

The problem is, Mom continuously claims I'm in danger by going away. She is constantly giving me articles about people who are abducted, raped or killed, saying that is what is going to happen to me.

This morning we had a major confrontation. Since my choice is making her so unhappy, I offered to go to the local two-year college and then transfer, but it wasn't enough. Any suggestions to help her come to terms with my decisions? – Tired of Fighting

Dear Tired: Stop arguing with your mother. She is overprotective and not rational on the subject. If you are old enough to attend college and pay for it yourself, you should go to the school of your choice.

We know Mom worries about your safety, but you have to leave the nest sometime. You have taken every sensible precaution. Tell her she needs to trust you now. (But call her often. She'll miss you.)

Dear Annie: We live on the same road as my husband's parents, brother, aunt, uncle and niece. If we are outside, whether cooking or gardening, they see it as an open invitation. There is usually a steady stream of family intruding at all hours.

The minute my husband arrives home from work, the phone starts ringing or his dad follows him into the driveway. This is all normal to him, and he resents it when I say anything. I am now sleeping in the spare room. He won't talk to me or acknowledge my point of view. What shall I do? – Smothered in Minnesota

Dear Smothered: Your husband is obviously close to his family and likes it that way. This was part of the package when you married him and shouldn't be a surprise now. Since Hubby won't speak to you, you may need to "sweet-talk" him into a discussion, saying you love his family, but sometimes you'd like a little more private time with him. You also should make every effort to warm up to the in-laws a little more, because you aren't going to get rid of them unless you are also willing to get rid of your husband.

Dear Annie: I just read the letter about the origins of "beck and call" and have a grammar issue of my own. We often hear phrases based on "All men are created equal." Wouldn't the proper word be "equally," since it is an adverb describing a verb?

I even hear the president and others use this phrase. Am I the only one bugged by this, or am I wrong? Thanks for solving these major issues in life. – Eydie in Louisville, Kentucky

Dear Eydie: We understand your confusion, and although we are not grammar experts, we will give it our best shot. The phrase "All men are created equal" is best known from the US Constitution. (Let's not get into the gender issue. That's another column.) The confusion may come from the use of the passive voice. "Equal" is not describing how the men are created. They all have the same body parts. It is actually describing the men themselves, that they have equal worth as human beings. If any grammar experts have a better explanation, please write us.