Q: My five-year-old granddaughter keeps saying that she does not want to grow up. She constantly does things to seek her parents' attention (even if it means negative actions) knowing that she will get into trouble. She says she liked being four years old and does not want to grow up or go to Kindergarten next year. She is not in pre-school. She has two sisters who are twins aged seven years and one 11-year-old sister. All of us are at our wit's end, as we do not know how to deal with her. She yells constantly, does things like cutting off her hair, and disrupts the household peace. How do we deal with her?

A:Show the child some pet animals, and let her see that all living creatures do grow up. Even next year, she will still be the youngest. Probably, she sees her sisters doing homework and feels that she would not like to get into that and would want to remain free of responsibility. She will get over it once she starts going to Kindergarten. She must be given some special time by her parents or grandparents, so that she is assured that she will be loved even when she grows up.