Is it just me?

I'm not experiencing this, so I can only imagine how hard it must be (I'm sure it would hurt me too...). But your feelings cannot come first, and even if you want to pull away because you feel rejected, you should not do it. Accept his feelings, and stay open and available to your son. Try to engage with him. Be silly. Make him laugh. Do something fun. Bring a new toy. Try to make it as light and fun as you can, he will respond to your efforts.

If he feels you being frustrated, sad, angry or pulling away, it will make him even more distant (I would imagine). Children respond to our energy

Mine is kinda the same but only when his grandma walks through the door. As soon as she gets home from work I'm like chopped liver, he comes to me when he wants something. But when I was trying to get him to crawl I tried for weeks and he crawled to his dad first and I cried over that and then of course his first word was dada and I cried over that too.

I've also heard that because they know that their mama is there and loves them, they don't need to seek your attention and are more drawn to others. Maybe that's all it is! Maybe they see you more so other people are more interesting and fun.

Yeah I would say what @Kalyn said. You’re there and you are his safe space so he feels 💯 confident you will be there always and thus it’s a good thing he feels this way about you but also for sure doesn’t “feel” great to you. I really don’t think it means he “loves” you less. He just knows you’re his person. His safe place. He doesn’t need to whine or cry to get your attention because he knows you’re there.

Hugs, mama.

Both of my kids have done this. I thought for sure the boy would be a momma's boy (still breastfeeding) but sadly that's not the case. It's all about daddy. It is a phase. kids go through various super clingy behaviors and all of it is so common especially if you are primary caregiver. The best thing is to be available. If it is bothering you too much maybe talk about getting help for depression, which makes everything feel way worse. And yes post partum depression is still a thing at this age. This won't help you much now, but once kiddo becomes older, full toddler, the clingy stage may get way worse. At that time the best cure is to smother them with whoever they are being clingy with. It's like reverse psychology it makes them more independent if you coddle them. Like carry them everywhere even when they want you to let them down. It seems weird but it's kinda funny how well that works. This trick may work but perhaps not yet. Security leads to independence.

Well said!

A little bit… not to the extent that doesn’t want anything with me but I figured that I am less “fun” than dad, because I do more of the education, the feeding, the changing diapers, and dad is just all silly games and I believe is natural. Doesn’t hurt hurt me, I know I’m doing the right thing and eventually he’ll see it.

At this age they see us mums as being an extension of themselves and a constant presence so anyone else is an interesting area to explore as they are "separate" and not always around. This is actually a sign they have a secure bond with mum

You are not alone. I am actually experiencing the same thing with my daughter. And your feelings are totally valid, however pulling away from your son may not be the best approach. It is extremely hard not to, but you just have to remember he does need and love his mama. This is just a phase and it will pass, until then stay strong Mama.

I have a now 4 year old and she went through a phase of absolutely hating me. I wish she acted like I didn’t exist at the time because instead she acted like I was her worst nightmare. I wasn’t allowed to sit on the couch if she was on it or she would SCREAM her head off, I wasn’t ever allowed to sing or watch something on the tv she liked. She would tell me to “go to the kitchen.” That’s just a few examples of how much she hated me and that lasted from her being about 2 to…. Just a few months ago. She just started school and when I pick her up at the end of the day she tells me she cried at school because she “missed mommy.” And now I’m all she wants when she’s sad or needs something from someone. I hated when people told me it was just a phase but honestly, that’s the only thing I can tell you. I know it doesn’t make any of it better but in time, hopefully you’ll be writing the same response as me on someone else’s post. It gets better.❤️

I went through that with my 1 year old, it lasted a few weeks. I know how you feel, I felt the same way. I would just take a few minutes to breathe and remember that I didn't do anything wrong, it's not my fault, it's just something that happens. For my son, he realized that at the time, dad was more available than I was, (I was pregnant and constantly tired), so he gravitated towards his dad because dad was more fun, dad was was more than mom was at the time. It's just a phase, it will pass. Just stay calm and remember that you didn't do anything wrong. You got this!