My son and I are like Batman and Robin. He knows I'm batman but at times I tag along to further his self-esteem in the right direction under the right circumstances.

He was a really good boy before his mother left for her internship. It has been a month now and I am having a bit of trouble. Today, he wanted me to go away, to go to work, just away from him. I tickeld him and he was halfway back to normal but I still had a sense that he didn't want me around.

As my wife is away I stepped up big time to make sure he has a sense of family because I know he is having trouble dealing with the current circumstances. I'm trying to ease his pain by taking him to the zoo, park fishing.. etc. My question is what do I need to do to better myself for him? To make sure that I still have control because I'm also at work and I don't see him until 6 pm. Therefore; the grandmother's philosophy of give him everything he desires isn't coherent with mine. I don't know, I'm really confused and I would just like to know how I can show him that his mother loves him and that I love him.

Pick out a card with him and then send it to her. Include drawings you both have made.

Together make a Mom book (cut printer paper in half and staple sheets together in the middle, then fill it with drawings and stickers and short sentences). Read it together every night before bed. Make a Dad book too. Also, together make one all about your child. Make copies for her and mail them to her

Try convincing your wife to come back and handle him...

You don't need to think in terms of bettering yourself, and you don't need to think in terms of control over him either. Just be the loving dad that you are. Let his grandmother spoil him, because that's what grandmothers do, and because you don't have a lot of choice anyway. As long as he sees consistency from each of you, he will sort it out and accept each of you. If he needs discipline, think of positive ways to express it. Substitute behavior is the best: if he demands a cookie, distract him with a game or toy. If he won't go to sleep, read from the mommy book WonderGirl suggested, or from any book, and say 'one book only and then you sleep' right from the start. Spend 10 minutes a day on a mommy talk and say 'Time for our mommy talk' and ask him what he would tell her about his day that day. Does she call?

Relax guy you are trying to hard, back up and let him be a 3 year old. Find him a play mate occasionally, and let grandma spoil him. You don't have to constantly prove you and mom love him, or entertain him ALL the time.

That's smothering even for a 3 year old.