My Little Mama's Boy

Hi C.,
I agree with these ladies that this is probably just a phase and that your son is used to always being with you because you are home now. My comment is this, when children are resistent to doing something or being with someone it is generally because they feel unsafe for some reason. Not unsafe in the sense that your son thinks his Dad is going to hurt him, but unsafe in the sense that he sees you as the one who has all of the answers and takes care of everything. Dad maybe is seen as the playmate and not as a caregiver that can help your son feel secure. Suggest to your husband that he take over some of the caregiving activities for a while (or participate in them with you). Such as giving your son a bath, feeding your son or making his food for him, helping him get dressed, tucking him into bed etc. These activities will help your son to see that Dad is strong and smart and nurturing too and then he may feel more secure playing with him.
Hope you find something that works for your family. Take care,
B.

Maybe he could try a Daddy Date. Daddy could take him somewhere fun. The park, McDonalds with a play place and an ice cream cone, to the airport to watch airplanes take off and land, etc. Or how about camping in the back yard?
I'm sure it's just a phase, but my little boys are kind of momma's boys, too. They are happy to see me go if they are going to play with other kids, they aren't clingy, and right now at least, they are fine with Dad. But I realized they need more time with him when my 4 year old started talking about pillow shams, bed skirts, duvets, etc. Poor thing is stuck with me too much!

Our son who will be 5 in a couple weeks did this at 4, as well. He had always been a daddy's boy and my husband was blessed enough to be able to start working at home. Suddenly, my daddy's boy just wanted to be with mommy. Now, after about 6 months, it seems to have rounded out a bit, although, in part to his brother wants to be with daddy and he doesn't want to be the only one not included. I had read somewhere that kids switch parents at certain ages, but I don't remember details. I wonder if age 4 is one of those times they prefer the opposite sex parent. Maybe your husband could use a vacation or weekend day to do something really special just the two "men". That has helped us on occasion. Amusement parks and water parks seem to be the attraction of choice this summer, although museums are always good, too, if you husband can be excited about it. GL!

In time this will change, it is very normall for little ones to cling more to one parent. And age doesn't determine when that will happen, and sometime there is a yo-yo effect, one month it is mommy and the next it is daddy.

More time with just daddy is a good start, leave for an hour or two and leave him and daddy alone, he will have a bit of a fit, most do, but usually calm down pretty quickly. This won't cure it over night and will take up to a month to see any improvment, but it will get better. It's just going to take patience, My youngest is in the same phase and I know how trying it can be! Good luck!