<p>I am a small woman with three big athletic sons. (the little ones haave not hit puberty yet). Their size/ strength does not even come into the picture in my dealings with them, and if that had been an issue, I would have been out of luck a long time ago.<br>
There is more going on here than your brother losing interest in school. It is normal to see a drop off in interest, increase in disciplinary problems when the fangs (among other things) start to grow, but this looks an example of adolescent/adult adjustment disorder. Your parents should see a psychiatrist to get themselves in good mental order, and to have a professional involved in the problem. Just as in an airplane, the adult should put the oxygen mask on first when the need arises, and then tend to the child, when a family becomes disfunctional because of the aberrant behaviour of one member, the others need help and should get it first. It is also less confrontative to have your brother meet with a therapist when mom and dad are seeing someone for their own issues. I say this because I am now seeing a therapist, and through this venue have finally been able to get my son to see someone. I have been told by psychiatrist that this is not at all unusual. Having a person with problems in the home, does cause problems for the other family members. It is this philosophy that is the basis for Al-Anon, for those affected by someone's alcoholism.<br>
There are a large number of families who have sons (and daughters, but the males seem to be more prone) at home who are "lost". In Japan this has become a severe problem. Here, we often see kids who have even finished college, were good students who can't take the next step. They can't find a job they like, won't take a job they don't like, and end up spending the days in bed and the nights either out carousing, or mindlessly playing video games or fooling around on line. Some of those kids need a swift kick in the tush out the door as a reality check, but many of them have issues that need to be addressed to get them on track. Mental illness does tend to sent in during those years, and it takes a professional to discern the difference between a kid just stuck in a groove and one who is having serious problems.</p>