Dear Prudence,
I just found out my mother has been telling her family about our private conversations and my most sensitive secrets. It took me decades to get the courage to tell her about the abuse I experienced while in foster care until I was 11. From ages 6 to 9, I was sometimes put in diapers as punishment even though I had no issues with incontinence. I was kept in them all day while everyone laughed and call me a baby. The shame made me keep it a secret all these years. I finally got the courage to tell my mother what happened, and she told her brothers and sisters. Now they chuckle and make sly remarks whenever they see me. I’m so devastated and ashamed I often cry. Though I no longer confide in my mother, I can’t take this secret back. What can I do to stop the humiliating teasing from my relatives?
—Mother Embarrassed Me