Q: We have one son, aged 11, studying in the 6th standard. He is very good at studies and mostly scores above 90% with 2nd/3rd rank in the class. I am a working professional whereas my spouse is a house wife. My son is very fond of playing with his friends when at home, besides playing computer games at home. My wife keeps on objecting to his playing any game & tries to demotivate him. She always irritates him by stopping the play. If I intervene she puts allegation on me that I am spoiling his future, this creates a lot of trouble & tension. My son is also very demanding & aggressive, he will never give up his demands. If you force him then he won't take food & do things like that. Further, my wife teaches him at home except Maths which I teach him. Kindly suggest how to tackle this problem.

A:You are right in not wanting to force your son unnecessarily. He is already doing well at school, but is his performance at school mainly due to the mothers hard work with him? Your wife may be having unrealistic and high expectations from him. He is approaching adolescence and it is important not to force or nag him, but use reasoning and discussion to arrive at mutually acceptable standards. A balanced schedule including work and play is the best option.