My 2 year old doesn’t want to come to me after spending the weekend at dads

[G01]

Hi everyone
I'm looking for some advice and maybe even some comfort ..
my 2 year old goes to her dads every other weekend and doesn’t want to come near me when he drops her back, she screams and doesn’t want me to touch her at all.
he walks off acting like she loves him more than me and makes sly comments that honestly break my heart especially since she’s attached to me when he’s not around and we have the best bond and relationship.
she won’t come near me for a while after he leaves :( me and her dad already have issues about him not seeing her enough then she acts like this really hurts my heart
(she only gets like this with her dad no one else) 🙏🏼

[Nimko777]

@G01

Hi everyone
I'm looking for some advice and maybe even some comfort ..
my 2 year old goes to her dads every other weekend and doesn’t want to come near me when he drops her back, she screams and doesn’t want me to touch her at all.
he walks off acting like she loves him more than me and makes sly comments that honestly break my heart especially since she’s attached to me when he’s not around and we have the best bond and relationship.
she won’t come near me for a while after he leaves :( me and her dad already have issues about him not seeing her enough then she acts like this really hurts my heart
(she only gets like this with her dad no one else) 🙏🏼

Hey. I can imagine how upsetting that must make you feel. If you have her most of the time and she has a close bond with her father as well as you, it could possibly be seperation anxiety? That's the first thought i had when i read this. Of course it doesn't mean she loves you any less. She is still so young so won't understand much about co parenting, the best thing i can advise is to have a little talk just explaining that you both love her very much

[G01]

Thank you 😢 he walks off so cocky as if she loves him more but doesn’t make any more effort to see her so it definitely a kick in the stomach but I’ll wait it out and see if it gets better 🙏🏼

[tmc14]

Hi - this sounds really hard.
I would say it’s because she’s so attached to you as her primary carer that she’s behaving this way. The couple of times I had to leave my first overnight as a toddler, he completely blanked me on return. It’s hard for little ones to adjust back and forth and a weekend is quite a long time when you’re 2. That’s not to say she’s not having a lovely time with her dad of course - but I would definitely see this as an issue with adjustment rather than preference. Have you looked at some picture books on co parenting that might help her understand?
I would also try perhaps having something nice set up for her when she returns (snack, new stickers, favourite toy or something) so you can distract her away from her dad with minimal fuss that doesn’t directly involve you, if you feel he’s enjoying the perceived preference and might make the transition easier and more low key for your daughter. Good luck x