Q: My nephew is 12 years old who is not concentrating on his studies and is careless. His school teachers too say that he is not attentive. He has been taken care of by his grandmother till the age of 8. His grandmother expired then and his aunt and uncle started taking care of his studies and the rest of the times he was with his parent. His aunt got married and uncle somehow managed to take care of his studies. He lost his father this year and his mother is living away. This child is safe and enjoying more with his uncle and aunt,financially and in all other respects. He wants to write his uncles name instead of his fathers name. Now what to do with this child - how to handle him?

A:Every child needs emotional attachment with a parent figure, and this provides a sense of security and trust for future. The details provided do not explain why the parents did not take care of this child. It is clear that he has been looked after by many different relatives. He may be suffering from a break in attachment after the grandmothers death. He also seems to be suffering from a sense of rejection by his parents. He would benefit from proper psychological assessment and individual counselling.