1.Your Seven-year Old Is Acting Like He’s Three
“Regressing is a way of attracting attention,” says Armin Brott, author of Fathering Your School-age Child. Do this Call in sick and spend the day with your kid. Do something age-appropriate: a museum, a movie, playing his favourite game. Nip this behaviour now or it’ll escalate, says Brott.

2. He Rejects You
If your kid shrugs his shoulders when you finally offer to throw the ball, he’s upset about your constant invisibility. Do this On your way home, call him, Brott suggests. Let the kid know you’re on your way and that you look forward to seeing him. Remind him that you love him more than your job.

3. He Becomes You
“Workaholic parents can raise a child who copes by becoming a workaholic child,” says Diane Fassel, author of Working Ourselves To Death. Do this Replace one of his many activities with something you two can do together. Re-engaging with each other will give you both a new perspective.

4. Your 10-Year Old Is Acting Like He’s 16
Experts have found that a child of workaholic parents often takes on extra household responsibilities. Do this Change into jeans and a T-shirt after work. It’ll remind your kid that you’re not only Worker Man but also plain old Dad, and that it’s okay if he – or she – acts like a plain old kid.