my 2 1/2yr old wont come with me..

Would it be possible for mom or grandmother to go for a ride to the ice cream shop or park with you and your daughter?

She may need their active participation to get her past this sticking point.

Non responsive. have you tried to do something with her outside of the house, outside of being able to see the house? Your inability to figure out what the problem is is frustrating, you are there, you should be able to narrow down the possibilities. If she will not get in your car but will walk with you 5 blocks down to the park that would be useful information. And BTW I have not heard you say that mom encourages her to get out of the house with you...I am still betting that she does not, because she wants to supervise. Thing is that does not let you be dad, that makes you a babysitter, even if the kid keeps saying daddy! daddy! daddy!

then it is no longer daddy daughter time, it is still babysitter time. Mom needs to stay home. A dirty little secret is that it is very common for moms to decide that dads can only play with the kids so long as they do as they are told, as so long as mom is in the next room ready to fly to the rescue. This is not being a dad, this is being a babysitter/playmate. Because this is so common I am for now assuming that this is what is happening here.

I asked her today do you want to come for a walk with daddy. And she didnt want to.. she went over and got her book and wanted me to do her nursery rhyms with her.. she is all about her daddy when im there.. she just wont come with me..

You seem to forget the business about being two.

Your child apparently likes you.

Maybe she has some mild fear of going out with you or anyone, which is reasonable.

Sounds like she enjoys time with you, but is most comfortable in her space right now.

Is there a possibility that the custody arrangement will allow her to live with you part-time in the future? it is the healthiest option for her, long-term.

Ya we have a great time together when we are together. When I go to her house and she sees me at the door her little face lights up.. I just wondering is this a common thing with most single dads or am I the only one goin tru this..

It's not just single dads. There are stages when children in intact families prefer to be with one parent or the other - or to be with a non-parent.

Do you have access to any local parenting resources where you can meet with other parents?

Hi.. I have just looked up and found a family resourse centre. So I will give them a ring tomoro and see how I get on.. I will keep u posted.. and I really like to thank you for your help.. it means alot..

Hi people.. this is still goin on with my child.. has it gone on to long now.. or does it get better.. im at my wits end now at this stage..

So baby momma has almost won....

It will get better, if nothing else teenagers like to play one parent off against the other, and it's usually the parent who has custody that gets it in the neck.

Ignore Hawkeye, he has his own agenda based on a fear of organised feminists taking over the world. It's not based on reason, but on his own irrational fears.

Its not about winning or loseing to me.. my daughter is being brought up well by her mother I could never fault her for that.. its just its annoyin that she wont come with me..4 months its goin on.. is there anyone else on this forum goin tru this or has gone tru it.

Exactly, it's frustrating, but in the scheme of things four months isn't that long. Once she starts school she'll get used to being away from mum and things will change.

I'm sorry, I can't help experience wise, I'm a single dad, my wife died just over 10 years ago. My kids had no choice, they were stuck with me.

Im very sorry to hear that.. its just strange how when im around my daughter is all about me.. even ther on saturday out of the blue she said im ur girl daddy big hug.. everthing else is perfect.. its just she wont come with me..

That's alright, ten years is long enough to get over something like that. It sounds like your daughter really enjoys her time with you, and it won't be too long before she wants to go out with you. Are there any theme parks near you? Talk to her about them, engage her curiosity, sooner or later a fun day out will seem a lot more attractive than staying home, you've got to be patient.

Four months is really a short period of time.

Try to focus on how happy your daughter is when you are together.

izzythepush has given you good advice.

have you had a chance to speak to other parents in your area about what life with a small child is like? have you done reading on developmental stages of children?

you said earlier that your ex-wife is supportive of your time with your daughter. would she be willing to take your daughter out for you to meet with her at the park or in a restaurant?

Ya when she sees me her little face lights up.. the first thing she does is puts out her hand and catches mine and says come into my house daddy..ya I said her mother is a great mother my child wants for notin.. the only downfall about it is she wont let me spend extra time with my daughter.. thats the killing part.. saturday to friday feels like a lifetime waiting to see her..

Remember that. As long as it continues things will turn out fine, just not as quickly as you'd want.

I never thought this would happen.. but hopefully it dosent last much longer.. who said life was easy..lol.. thanks for ur advise..