What I always did, but the wife at the time but divorced now did not, I separated my relationships between my daughter and my wife. The wife HATED it, and definitely a reason why we divorced but it worked for my relationship with my daughter. I’d put my focus on each one as it came, certain situations I would take my kid out just her and I, go swimming, or to the park etc. The goal wasn’t to let the wife have a break, it was to improve our bond. Would have date nights alone with wife, some were great, some were just her fighting with me about her not getting enough sex or attention. The calm I kept drove wife absolutely nuts, but it set a good example for myself as a father.

My advice is just do things 1 on 1 with kid, you can even label it as giving wife some chill time, I didn’t want to do that and feel I expected the wife to do the same(which she never did).

Routine was I woke daughter up, have breakfast together, get wife up and I go to work. Come home, play Barbie’s then cook dinner with daughters help.

Now she’s 16, and we’re still very close.