Daddy Mooshka vs. Baby Mooshka

My son Adam is 2 years, 8 months old. I love that little boy more than anything and I know he loves me too (he tells me so all the time). Unfortunately, he doesn't always like his Daddy. The feeling is mutual.

For about a week now, he only wants Mommy. This isn't really anything new. He gets it in his mind that he wants either Mommy or Daddy to do something for or with him (brush his teeth, put him to bed, make his dinner, etc) and nothing can change his mind. But normally, its each event over the course of a day that he seems to re-evaluate his parent preference. Lately though, he needs all Mommy all the time. If Mommy says "your Daddy can do it", he throws the biggest tantrum. We're talking kicking, screaming, banging and the repetition of the phrase "no, mommy do it". And he continues to cry until Mommy comforts him and/or gives him his way. If Daddy tries to console him, he throws a bigger tantrum. The result is that he ends up in his room because he won't stop his tantrum. Then, when he's starting to calm down, I go into his room to try to talk to him and he closes the door on me and won't stop blocking it until his Mommy comes.

I can handle the fact that Adam doesn't always want his Daddy. I expect that. But it does hurt me feelings some when my presence makes him go into an uncontrollable rage. And admittedly, there have been situations where its the complete opposite, where he wants only Daddy for several days in a row (it seems to happen when one of us spends multiple days in a row with him alone, while the other is off doing other things). I guess its just hard to understand why he has such a strong preference. He really does like us both and is totally comfortable with either one of us. Due to work schedules, etc, Manda and I have spent equal amounts of time with him as the soul care-giver, so its not like his a total Mommy's boy. I guess I shouldn't try to delve too deeply into the psyche of a 2 year old. I'll just hurt my brain trying.

But my frustration doesn't just end with his preference for his Mom lately. I'm also so sick and tired of having the same fights with him. A perfect example is going to the grocery store. He hates sitting in the cart more than anything in the world! It takes both me and Manda to hold his legs and force him into the cart. Meanwhile, Adam is screaming as if he is being abused. And people probably look at us and think we are abusing him. But its too much to try to let a 2 year old run around the busy grocery store by himself (he won't even hold hands), so we're left with little choice. The fact that we have the same fight every time is just too much. You'd think he would eventually figure out that sitting in the cart at the grocery store is just how its going to be. But no. He has to scream bloody murder and make us look like bad parents. Its not just in public, we have the same fights at home too, like about watching a movie, going to bed, taking a bath, etc. Its extremely tiresome.

You know the worst part of all? He's just like his Daddy. Let's just leave it at that.