DEAR ABBY: My wife of five years has three sisters. She is the second oldest, and ever since I have known her, she has felt like she doesn't "belong" in her family. These feelings get worse during holiday get-togethers. She feels isolated by her sisters and her mother.
I thought she would eventually grow out of it, but since they have all had kids, it has only gotten worse. She cries every time we leave her parents' house, and I know it is affecting our son.
What can I do to help her get over these feelings of not being liked or loved by her own family? It is starting to affect our marriage. -- CARLA'S HUSBAND
DEAR HUSBAND: There is nothing you can do to "help" your wife get over the feeling that she doesn't measure up. But there is something SHE can do: start talking to a licensed psychotherapist about her feelings.
Because I do not know the family or their "dynamic," I can't offer a judgment about the validity of her feelings. However, because she is in tears every time she leaves a family gathering, it might be best if you limit your -- and her -- exposure to those relatives, at least for a while.