On joining regular school, your child is likely to become closer to his peers. They will probably influence his behaviour
more than you or your spouse do. It is a normal phase of development. Don''''t worry if your son starts taking less interest in family
activities. He wants to be more independent and socialise more with people of his own age. When he joins a group of boys of his own age, he learns to lead and to be led. He shares
responsibility and the group''''s workload. His group may be very creative, but there is always a possibility of getting into undesirable activities. By and large, an association with peers is good. Do not spy on your son''''s day-to-day activities. Do not read his personal diary. It may please you to know that at this age, the ''''inner policeman'''' in him is more alert. It starts nagging him when he is tempted to cross the limits of values set by your living and your interaction with him. Your job is to make sure that your child has enough time for his studies and at least some time for the family. Television watching may by rationed. Reach an agreement with him about the programmes that he can see. Regular sleeping hours must be maintained. Children need to have enough sleep at this age (6-12 years). They must therefore go to bed early. Make sure that your child has occasion to spend time with the family in a casual manner. Invite your son''''s favourite friend to a movie or a family picnic. Meet the mothers of your son''''s friends during holidays. Organise a group activity where you can help them learn something that will really interest them. This can be done on a particular day of the week. Other mothers can take responsibility for some other days. But you must make sure that the group has time to themselves when they can do the things that they want to do together. Be careful not to criticise your child in front of others if you feel he is not coming up to your expectations. Discuss the problem with your spouse and jointly explore the possible ways of handling the situation.