My husband and I got divorced when our son was 3. He is now 11. Up until recently, his father, who lives in another state, has not played a significant role in his life. For seven years, it was just my son and me. But a little over a year ago, I started dating a wonderful man. He loves my son, and my son returns his affection. We all do things together, and my boyfriend and my son also do things together just the two of them. We make a concerted effort to include everyone and to make sure that attention is evenly split.
Within the last month, my son has become very moody. He demands my attention, pouts and doesn’t want to be around us. My boyfriend is concerned that my son does not love him anymore. It seems like my son is worried that I am replacing him. I reassure him and spend time with him one-on-one, but he is unengaged during these times.
His father has recently remarried a woman who has children. They have also had a child of their own. My son visits them during the summer now, and he loves the time that he spends with his dad, new step-mom and siblings. Why is this OK for his father but not for me?
