DEAR HARRIETTE: My sister suffers from some addiction issues and lives in the same county as me. There will occasionally be a headline in local newspapers about her and something that happened at a gas station, public park or school. This is incredibly embarrassing, but what is worse is being asked about her antics. Believe me, I have tried almost everything to have her get help or stay sober. She does not have much contact with my family, but whenever we see her, we pretend we haven't seen the headlines or heard the gossip. I need to find a way to draw the line about people asking me about my sister. I feel like all anyone wants is gossip. They don't care about how I am doing. What can I do to make people stop talking about my sister to me? They don't know what I go through, and I don't want to hear it. -- Family Shame, Denver
DEAR FAMILY SHAME: You can stop answering their questions. You can ask them to pray for your family and then change the subject. If they persist, ask them to respect your privacy.