Q: My son is 11 years old. He was brought up at his maternal grandmother's house. He is one of the twins. The other one is a girl. His problem is that he starts crying, the moment he is asked to study. He says that he has studied, without studying fully. When his mistakes are told to him, he gets angry and refuses to study further. He wants to play or watch TV or sit in front of the computer. He always compares himself with his sister. He was brought up to 2.5 years in his grandmother's house. He is defiant as well. Please advise.

A:You must help the child to understand his feelings. Perhaps he feels rejected by the parents because he was sent away to his grandmother's house. Talk to him gently, instead of only instructing him to do homework and so on. If he is still unhappy, try and consult a Psychologist or Counsellor, so that he can be happier and perform at his level. If possible, let him keep up his relationship with the grandmother, by visiting her. Plan some activities for the twins to do together, so that they can become friendly and affectionate to each other and not be rivals for your attention.