Q: My 7.5-year-old son is very brilliant and is in the 2nd grade. He has a good reading habit, grasping power and acute observance. He has a clear goal of becoming an astronaut from the age of 4. He hates being disciplined, specially while he watches TV or when it comes to being responsible for his own work. We are never harsh with him and allow him a certain time to watch TV, play games and do activities of his interest. He likes to do his school projects his own way and does things on his own without any help. But once he sees that other students have done a better job, he gets disappointed. He is happy when we listen to him, do things his way but if we try to make him go other way round, he becomes arrogant and stubborn. He demands toys and book whenever we go for shopping. We can't say a no always but don't want to say a yes everytime. How should we deal with these situations?

A:Since your child is bright, explain to him that he has a choice: 1) He can get help from the parents as the others do and have an error-free job 2) Do his own work and be satisfied with it, even if other children's assignments are better. Life is filled with such choices. Teach him to listen to you, just as you listen to him. If you can, do NOT constantly tell him he is brilliant and gifted. Talk to him about the values of being helpful, compassionate and kind. Old fashioned they may sound, but he will see that they never get out-dated. Round the world, school systems put an emphasis on cognitive and mental achievement, even though societies and communities value emotional intelligence. Cultivating both aspects would seem to be the road to wisdom.