Wow a lot of good advice, which I will use as well :) Since a have a now have a 3 year old. 2's were challenging but 3 just stink! Ah, the authority challenging it unreal, I agree! And again, my kids do it with me and not with my husband (as much) or others. Could it be that due to % I am the one with him 24 / 7 and the others are not? It is true that the best cure to something gone wrong is something new and I belive that applies to people. ex. having troubles with mom, then comes in dad oh, let's do something else that's fun. I don't get it, it's not fair, but it the mom thing. I don't know if I agree on the whole day care thing. In my opinion (for what it's worth) you are just passing the problem off to somebody else who has the patients to deal with it (or the paid job) :) I don't see how that would "fix" things, they still don't learn to mind you - the mom. The teacher maybe....
But, I have problems with the whole mommy day out, pre-school programs, so I might be a bad person to reference this. Since when did it become totally necessary to emerce our kids into "school" to prepare them for more school. I mean kindergarden started so that 1st grade is not a shock (ie, the 1/2 day to whole day thing), now we have whole day kindergarden so we have pre-school to prepare for K, then mommy day out to prepare for pre-school. Isn't all the change from one group to another, from one schedule to another, from one school to another too much change? What ever happened to good old fun, as a child, at home? We can teach them what the need to know (I'm sure we all know our colors and can count?) Social issue is the only reason I can justify all the hoop'la but you know what mom's need a social life as well, and who better to get that from, than from other mom's with kids. Let the kids play, let the moms talk (and supervise and teach).
If you have a good social network from him and you, then just keep at it. Nobody ever said it's easy- nothing worth doing right ever is, and if he didn't challenge you then he would not be a normal, healthly little boy, which we as parents for thank God for everyday. Now, I say that to myself as well as to you as I need to hear that today as well. Ah, it's been a hard day. I hate loosing a battle (physical or emotional) to a 3 year old, it makes me feel weak and a failure as a mom. At the end of the day I feel like I've been beaten-up and left behind. So, start again tomorrow. As my mentor (mom of 7 - all 7 years apart 4 of them quads). She just falls on her face - prays for help for the next 5 mins. gets thru that and falls on her face again to pray for the next 5 min.
A fellow mom, who is trying to survive as well. Doing the best I know how, and trying to learn better ways everyday day :)