Dear Margo: I am a teenager and have a problem with my parents. My mom is 44, and my dad is 50. Recently, they've started going out and basically partying all the time.

My mom says she has raised kids for 30 years and she is done doing it. (There are six kids, and I'm not the youngest.) I feel like I am raising two teenagers. When I try to talk to them about it, they say, "Oh, you are just like your sister. You don't want us to have any fun. And besides, we never got to be teenagers."

They have a 15- and a 13-year-old at home, so I don't think they are done raising kids — and if they are, I'm ready to move out. I have a place to go, and I was just wondering how I can get them to realize they aren't kids. — Too Young for All This

Dear Too: It sounds as though you have better sense than your folks do. This situation is somewhere between sad and goofy. Tired your parents may be, but they need to get real (and act like parents).

Try to get a neutral party into this situation — someone like the counselor at school, your family doctor or your pastor, if you are churchgoers. Your parents need a voice other than yours to "remind" them of their responsibilities.

It should be enough that you are telling them this, but apparently, it is not. Your moving out should be a last resort, but the mention of that might clear their heads. If your family can afford it, perhaps they should hire someone to oversee the younger ones, because they don't seem to want to.

I hope you, or someone, succeeds in getting through to them. — Margo, responsibly

The Bickersons at High Volume

Dear Margo: My friends and I are split down the middle about how to deal with a problem with my neighbors and have agreed that your vote will decide what to do.

My husband and I recently moved, and there is a couple (our age, early 30s) in our building, next door to us, who have daily fights.

Not "Honey, please stop leaving the Diet Coke out of the fridge" tiffs, but screaming, crying, broken crockery rows that go on for hours. It's more than a noise disturbance; it's often upsetting to hear the awful things they say to each other.

I know it's none of my business, but I grew up in a house with parents who fought like that, and it's a terrible thing to do to a child. I have been considering leaving them an anonymous note telling them that what they're doing isn't OK and including the telephone number of a friend of mine who is a great couples therapist.

Some of my friends think this is out of line and that I should just call the police the next time things get crazy or leave a note telling them they are making too much noise. I would greatly value any advice you have. — Wondering When To Butt In in Tel Aviv

Dear Won: By all means, start with a note, but I would sign it "your next-door neighbors." Mention that they may be unaware of the decibel level of their differing opinions. Your interest is not properly in solving their problems (impossible, anyway), but in keeping them from "disturbing the peace." Inflicting their hollering on other residents is unacceptable.

As the old saying has it, "the freedom to swing your arms ends where the other fellow's nose begins." In your case, this translates to: "The freedom to shriek ends when innocent bystanders must listen to it."

If you're ignored, then keep going higher, i.e., the building management and then the police. I would skip offering them a therapist. That part is not your business. — Margo, quietly

Dear Margo is written by Margo Howard, Ann Landers' daughter. To learn more about Margo Howard or to read features by other writers, visit creators.com.