LYNN IN WHITEHOUSE, TEXAS

DEAR ABBY: My mother is constantly calling me to say, "Did you just call me?" Anytime her phone rings and she can't get to it, she calls everyone she knows and asks that question. It is particularly irritating if I am in the middle of something that's difficult to put down when that's the only reason she called. Then she hurries on to the next person on her list to check.

I have repeatedly suggested caller ID, but she won't get it, saying she'll just check around. She knows it's irritating, especially when she calls me at work.

Any suggestions on how I can either learn to live with this, or get her to stop it? -- LYNN IN WHITEHOUSE, TEXAS

Oh Lynn, haven't you realized you've provided the answer to your own problem? You suggest your mother get caller ID so she can tell who just called her. But you're the one who needs to get caller ID so you'll know when she's calling you. As far as work goes, most office phones have some sort of caller ID or at least a way of showing the number of the caller. If that doesn't work, just tell her you're working and hang up. She'll stop calling you at work after five or seventy times of doing that.

It's clear your mom is lonely and is using the "did you just call me" as an excuse to call people. Try to convince her to be more creative with her pleas for help. She's elderly, so have her call people for computer help. The internet is broken. How can she fix it?

Besides, don't people who still use landlines in addition to cell phones have the *69 feature where you can call the last caller back? If it's an add-on service, I suggest you pay for it and train your mom to use it.

If that doesn't work, next time your mom calls and asks if you just called her, say "Mother? Is that your voice? It can't be! Your funeral was last week!" Then scream, hang up and deny it ever happened.

Your advice, readers?