The coming of warm summer days signals to me the invasion of the loud motorcycles in Malibu. I have nothing against motorcycles but many are modified to be so loud it is unbearable to be in my home all weekend. I am sure I am not the only one affected by them. Imagine a single rider who goes on a fifty mile pleasure drive. Think of how many people he affects with his loud noise on that ride. Hundreds of people and families have to endure them passing by. Now multiply that by the hundreds that come here on summer weekends.

The laws on the books now require a sheriff to test for the noise level from over fifty feet away. The legal noise level now is above that which is legally allowed by trucks. There is also a law on the books that say the manufacturer will not be held responsible for building illegal motorcycles above the noise limit set by law.

These laws are written for the motorcycles protection, only. We have endured them long enough. In October all new bills will be considered if they will be put on the slate in February. Now we have a chance to let the law makers hear our voice on this. Please write to them. Ask them to sponsor a bill to lower the legal noise limit and to have a mandatory vehicle test for noise before they can be registered. Fran Pavley, Congress, and Sheila Kuehl, Senate, can change this for us. Please call or write to them.

Jeannette de Langis

As a small boy I invaded the nightgown section of a full-size department store in Hollywood searching for my first “real” Mother’s Day present.

I wanted to bestow on my mother a bathrobe as her robe was worn out. I told the sales clerk what I wanted, but I didn’t know what size my mother was. The clerk asked if my mom was short or tall, fat or skinny. “She is just perfect,” I responded. On Mother’s Day, my mom beamed in her new bathrobe, as its extra length swept the floor behind her. So to you, Mom, and to the rest of the women reading this letter, Happy Mother’s Day 2001. Remember, dear Malibuite, that the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.

Tom Fakehany

Not since the heyday of Dr. Spock has a generation talked, read and debated parenting styles as much as this one. Every week or so, we have results of another study that shows: children who go to day care are angrier than those who stay home with Mom. Or children who go to day care are better prepared for school and have better social skills, whatever that means. Take your pick. It’s just psychologists creatively spending their grant money.

Baby boomers, who were raised by the book, rebelled against their parents and pretty much all authority, became flower children. They turned on, tuned out and generally mortified their parents. Then they grew up, threw away their lava lamps, beads and tie-died clothes, and basically rejoined mainstream America. They got jobs, got married, moved to the burbs. Their parents breathed a collective sigh of relief, stopped asking themselves where they went wrong and prepared to become grandparents.

Mother’s Day tends to glorify that journey, the transformation of rebellious teens into decent, responsible adults who shower their mothers with chocolate, flowers and Hallmark cards that prompt tears. They care enough to send the very best, we think.

My three 30 somethings have each produced one child and their parenting styles vary widely, so I have little faith in the old axiom that mothers tend to raise their children the way they were raised. I certainly didn’t. I was spoiled rotten, but was expected to be polite to all adults and not engage in behavior that would disgrace the family. I had a nanny until I was nine.

My son and twin daughters, who certainly weren’t spoiled, have grown up to be moral, responsible, caring adults. Their values are traditional, even conservative. I resist the impulse to pat myself on the back for a job well done. I recognize that there’s as much of their father’s influence as mine, and a whole lot of luck besides.

They are the product of two self-employed parents, who worked long hours, but mostly at home. They never had the dubious benefits of day care. We had a series of au pairs, most of whom were from Latin America and had their own traditions of child care. Our favorite was Hilda, a bright, energetic young woman, who had been a schoolteacher in Bolivia. She had gotten divorced, not a popular option in Bolivia, from what I gathered had been an abusive spouse, and she had been forced to leave her two children with her mother there. She spoke little English, but I think my kids benefited enormously from her loving care. We were all sad when she left, but I was happy that she got visas for her two children to come and live in Santa Monica with Hilda’s brother, sister-in-law and their children. I hope they all honor her on Mother’s Day.

My first grandchild, now a rebellious teen, has not had the benefit of a stable, two-parent home, caring nannies, nor consistent teaching. Still, she is a sweet-natured child, struggling with all the insecurities of adolescence, peer pressure and the need for independence without the means to achieve it. I wish her well.

My almost-7-year-old grandson has survived a dozen injuries and illnesses and has benefited from some day care, which prepared him for school, gave him a measure of discipline, curiosity and the sort of social give-and-take that only children often have trouble with. Though both parents work, they spend lots of time with him.

My other daughter has put her career on hold to be a stay-at-home mom. Her baby daughter, now approaching the terrible twos, is shy and outgoing, sweet and spunky, obedient and independent. I think giving up work to raise this child was a no-brainer.

Are any of my kids raising theirs the way they were raised? Not really. Does this make me think I did it wrong? Well, no, but I could have done better. If I had it to do over, would I work less and spend more time with them? Probably. Am I sweating it that their marriages will thrive, that my grandkids survive the whole messy business of growing up? Of course.

Will I brush away a tear again when I read my Mother’s Day cards on Sunday? Well, sure. That is, if they remember to send them.

CRUISE CONTROL

Talk about pulling off a red carpet coup! Rosie O’Donnell surprised everyone at the 14th Annual Kid’s Circus Awards at the Santa Monica Barker Hangar with her special guest — Tom Cruise. Tom’s top gun appearance was kept top secret till the very end. He did his part for the kids after being whisked in by a private plane and taking a limo straight to the hangar. When the show was over, Rosie and her not- so-tall, but very dark and handsome, hi-profile pal high-tailed it off into the night.

PLAY DAY

Jason Alexander, Carl Reiner and Kirk Douglas were among the theater lovers who trekked down to the Mark Taper Forum for a look at Alan Alda’s new play “QED.” The production depicts the life of eccentric Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman with Alda in the starring role, and runs through May 13. Also at the Music Center, the Ahmanson Theater is gearing up for a trio of new one-act musicals called “3hree.” Beau Bridges takes the stage as a ready-for-a-sex-change mid-westerner in “Looking for Normal” at the Geffen. Dame Edna’s Royal Tour is set to open at the Shubert and Gladys Knight will be bringing down the house when “Smokey Joe’s Caf” hits the Wilshire Theater on May 29.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Actress Sally Kellerman served as mistress of ceremonies at this year’s TSA awards dinner honoring David E. Kelly. TV’s mega producer was given high praise for his efforts to help raise awareness in the fight against a neurobiological disorder called Tourette’s syndrome.

“This event is the culmination of a dream that combines our commitment to Tourette’s and our responsibility to our children and everyone afflicted with this life-altering syndrome,” said dinner chair Jeffrey Kramer. Kramer explained that last year’s fundraising efforts, together with a $9 million award from the National Institutes of Health, have brought the organization closer than ever to finding a cure. Kelly was singled out for top honors after incorporating the syndrome into several episodes of his hit TV shows — most recently “Ally McBeal,” which featured Anne Heche as a teacher living with Tourette’s.

HOT STUFF

Disco diva Donna Summer will be taking us back to those sensational ’70s at this year’s Rock & Soul to Erase MS on May 18. The Studio 54 icon joins an all-star line-up, which includes Stevie Wonder, Brian McKnight, Tony Danza, Tom Arnold and Bill Maher. The Race to Erase MS was created by Nancy Davis in 1993 and has become one of the largest and most successful annual events funding research for multiple sclerosis. This year’s festivities are expected to raise a whopping $3 million. And chances are it will be an evening to remember on May 19 when Johnny Mathis takes the stage at this year’s Diamond Anniversary Gala to benefit Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center. The event, which enjoys the generous support of many Malibu docs, is celebrating its 75th year. Happy Birthday!

The Birenbaums, Sam and Nidia Cota Cookie Cutter Birenbaum, have garnered and created so much hatred with the majority of this Malibu community, particularly their neighbors. And they continue to thrive off this resentment. They camp on the beach because there were no permits issued by the county or the city for a dwelling on their lot, and lack of a permit provides no reason for a septic system.

Further construction is being pursued without a permit, at the same time they are giving praises to Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Jennings on their public access show. Are favors being issued instead of permits?

James “Scottie” Scott