The combination of lack of sleep, difficulty with peer interaction, poor and inconsistent engagement in school and his general lack of responsiveness to your efforts to get him there on time makes me wonder about his mental health status

If you push reading too hard and too soon at home, you could inadvertently turn your daughter off reading

I wonder if he is a bit intolerant of others' shortcomings or just not confident in himself. How can I assist, advise or guide him through his difficulties?

Child psychotherapist Dr Joanna Fortune

I'd love him to stay as he's made great friends in his group and it has helped build his confidence. Should I insist he keeps going or accept his decision?

My older granddaughter gets upset almost every time I pick up the baby

When maintaining his space, manage your expectations and standards and adopt a 'good enough is good enough' mindset. Clean enough is clean enough

"Children’s friendships evolve between the ages of nine and 12, when we tend to see an increased emphasis on the “best friends” group, especially among girls."

"...the task of adolescence is to pull away from our parents and find our voice and identity in the world. Because of the intense change, teenagers do not always handle this with grace..."

He finds it difficult to get out of bed in the morning for school — I've tried talking to him but I'm not getting through