Please help.. is this a phase?
My son will be 3 start of next year. I'm a single parent. Me and his dad have been split nearly 2 years..
I just feel like my son is so much happier with his dad and new partner. He always tells me he's happy all the time, good listening, good eating, good talking, good sleeping etc..
But for me, I try make things fun, exciting, teach him lots, spend quality time with him as much as I can. But he has so many tantrums.
Today he even told me to go away, tells me no mummy answering me back all the time.
I say it's time to change nappy, he refuses, time to have a nap, refuses, time to do anything and he's answering me back getting upset.
Was lunch time today, he didn't want to stop playing with his toy to sit and eat lunch with me. I said we can go for a sleep now, or eat our lunch first. To which it resulted in him saying no and screaming, kicking out, saying he wants to go buy a truck.. I offered him to bring his train to the table. That wasn't good enough.
I resulted in putting him in his room. He calmed down.. I went in and said do you want to come and eat lunch with mummy then we can play trains before we have a sleep.
He said no mummy go away.
He asks for his dad a lot.. sometimes even calls me his dad's partners name instead of mummy.
I honestly don't know what I'm doing wrong. I love him with my whole heart and want him to be happy around me.
But I can't help but thinks he just hates being home with just me. And prefers his other family life he experiences every other weekend...
It's not like he even spends every day with me as I work full time. We do a 60/40 split in terms of co parenting.
Any advice?
It's not always been this way. Only recently.. I fear it'll affect our relationship as I try my best to discipline him.. this morning I feel like it's been 20% happy, good listening etc and 80% chaos.
I honestly just don't know what to do..