Hello All
Just looking for advice on my 4 year old little boy. 5 in may.
I am dad here. My situation is that I split from my ex wife 3 years ago now. We have moved on in the respect that we have separate houses again I live on my own and not currently in a relationship. My ex has been with someone 2 years and has moved her partner in about a year and half ago, and his 11 year old son on a weekend. She is also pregnant and expecting at the end of may.
Our set up is that I have my son for 4 nights, then he is back with his mum for 6. It has always been this way due to me working shifts, but it works well generally as I get a prolonged period with him and this means some weekends and some days in the week. It also makes it near enough half and half.
My son has always been a little bit more clingy with his mum however this last few months has been really quite bad when I go to pick him up on a weekend.
There isn’t generally a problem when I pick him up from school.
When I go to collect him on a weekend generally there is her partners son there. My son then has meltdown and doesn’t want to come with me knowing its my days with him. The last week I picked him up he was still in his pyjamas and in the garden, then when I went to collect had meltdown. It took around 30 mins to calm him down and then when I got him in the car he was fine.
I am very much a doing dad, in the respect that I always take him places when I have him, we go out for meals, and we do things with his friends on the street. He is very well behaved with me when hes here, goes to bed on time, never gets upset and generally is a bundle of joy.
The issue I have is that his mum is starting to think he doesn’t like coming here, and that he isn’t happy. Apparently he has told her he doesn’t want to come to mine even before hes come.
He does however tell me that his mum doesn’t take him places, so I completely understand that 4 year olds will say things to manipulate their parents. He also tells me he misses his mum, but misses his dad.
Has anyone else had this problem? How can I overcome this?
What could be the reason for this?
Don’t get me wrong, I do understand that its probably fun that he is playing with my exs partners son, however I need to overcome this.
I have read bits on the internet that it may be to do with the fact that she is pregnant. Could this be a reason?
Ill be honest, its getting me down a bit, because I love him so much and think the world of him.