I truly felt for this mother, but the doc was totally correct. This mom has become so immersed in putting her son first that she has lost herself and her relationship with her husband. It's not because of her child, but because of the role she chose to play in relationship to her child-- that of the center of my universe and all my decisions and choices must revolve around you. When children come into our world it is right and natural for us to put them first as they are totally dependent on us and helpless. As children become more independent we need to remember to refocus our lives more and more on ourselves and our marriage/commitment/relationship which is what brought this child to us in the first place. The child should not be the center of our universe any more than the earth is the center of the solar system. Without a strong parent relationship (married, divorced or otherwise) and a strong relationship with ourself, the child becomes the controller of the relationships and will manipulate them (without malice) to meet his needs.
Dad is also not free of blame here either -- glad to see the doc pointed that out too. Did I hear correctly (in the tape) that he sometimes has to come home from work because said kid is inconsolable because he wants daddy? Big mistake Dad. You've taken on the role of rescuer, friend, and fun guy leaving mom the disciplinarian and one who needs to be rescued. Kids aren't stupid. They pick up on this even if they can't articulate it in a manner that we understand -- words.