DEAR ABBY: Last spring, my husband and I found out we're pregnant with our first child. We were thrilled, of course, but out of caution we decided not to tell anyone outside our immediate families for a few weeks.
I am a teacher at a large school and I decided to confide in my teaching assistant so she would understand if I seemed tired or I wasn't feeling well. She was excited. Within five minutes of my telling her, she had literally shouted the news to several other staff members. I asked her to please stop and, in particular, not to tell the students. The next day there was a large banner hanging over my classroom door that read: BUN IN THE OVEN! I was mortified and furious.
She thinks miscarriages won't happen if you think positive and that I'm just being negative. She is otherwise an excellent assistant. How do I deal with her refusal to remain quiet? -- ASSISTED BY A BLABBERMOUTH
DEAR ASSISTED: Now that you know you cannot share anything in confidence with your T.A., make a mental note not to make that mistake again. There's a saying, "Once two people know a secret, it is no longer a secret." All she had to do was tell one other person and the cat was out of the bag. Because she's an excellent teaching assistant, "deal" with her by telling her only what you would want broadcast over the public address system.