[asphaltgambler]

As said above and very wisely so..............as with most things a proper diagnosis is the first place to start. I think that your wife wants to solve problem immediately by her assessment which may or may not be correct. For a kid a that age to come to tears daily before leaving for school is a serious issue, possibly even a bullying situation.

I recommend a strategic plan to get to the root cause. Speaking 1 on 1 with his teachers, talking with him and asking what the specific problem is - if you have a good father / son trust he may reveal that when pressed.

I can relate. At adolescence in the early 70's - I began to question everything and struggled at school. I have dyslexia but nobody knew what that was then. Entering the 7th grade where the system starts preparing you for college and therefore harder and more complex subject matter.....I was failing.

My dad and I just could not relate to each other. Not an uncommon thing with fathers of that era. I became disruptive and started experimenting with pot.

I failed 7th grade and my father put me in a reform school. At the time I absolutely hated him for it, hated that school. Until 1 teacher reached out to me which was the turning point.

If I had only had my dad or someone I trusted sit down with me and talk about what was bothering me - I might have avoided all that. Thing is even at that age, looking back I'm not sure I could have articulated what was wrong but an experienced adult could.