From my understanding of that conversation you had with your t, I guess if I were in the t's position, I would have been asking if 'sheltered' was the word that your Mum actually used too, because it does seem like an odd word to use given the context of the conversation and question you asked your Mum.

I can imagine the word protected being used by a Mum .... but sheltered seems to say alot about your Mum's view of the world that you grew up in ... ie - that the world was a big bad place, and that her role as a Mum was to prevent you from seeing and being exposed to this badness.

It is kinda an unusual word to use if I understand the context of the conversation you had with your Mum ... and it would kinda get me wondering exactly what was going on in your childhood and in your Mum's perspective of things, that was so awful that a child would need sheltering from.

That's just my perspective on it, but then again, I dont visit this website much, so I dont know anything about you or your situation at all.