Whats going on with this 3 year old?

i think my 3 year old sd is having major issue. Her mother started a new job 3 weeks ago and she is never able to see her or pickup.dropoff to school. On her days of (sunday), she doesnt come to get her. She sort of letting go but doesnt want to be obvious. Lately, the 3 year old has been saying I love you to me and her dad like every other hour. If she gets in trouble, she says I love you, If she feels her dad will yell, she says I love you. Im trying to understand why she keeps on telling me i love you and not asking to call her mom to tell her. the other day she asked her dad how come she doesnt go to mommy house, he ignored her, because he didnt want to say because mommy doesnt want you there.. how to handle this. I really dont have those strong love feelinsg for her, I have 2 of my own that I really have all the love for. I care about her and really saddened by her mothers apathy, but its hard. I mean everytime she says it , i say it but i dont really mean it.

Are you sure you don't mean it? It is so hard not to love little ones. She probably sees you with your two and she wants to feel loved. She is missing her mommy. That poor baby. I am glad that you tell the girl you love her, but really you should mean when you say it. You admitted you cared for her. If you continue to tell her that you love her, and then later down the line the girl finds out you did not mean it, that will seriously damage her. Then again, if you don't say you love her That could damage her. WOW honey you are in a rock and in a hard place.

But you know since her mom is flaking out on her three year old, that means you will have more time with her, and your bond with her will go stronger. It is a woman's nature, to nurture and mother, even that being is not a part of us.

I think things will work out just fine. I think you sound like a awesome chick. You are so sweet to that little girl. I know that has to be hard on you, well on your family.
I wish you all the best. And hopefully the little girls mom decides what she is going to do, and stop toying with this little girls emotions.
Good luck sweetie =)

Her saying that is just a response she has developed to avoid confrontation and pain. I doubt she truly means it every time she says it either. It will pass. Maybe say something like "I know you do", or "you're such a sweet girl" to her I love yous.

I think, eventually over time, youll come to love her. You can't make a bad mother good, so you can just keep telling her you love her untill she forgets.

OK whatever. Just imagine that child is one of your own and how you would want someone else to comfort her if you weren't there. Please it's not that big a stretch especially as you say you do care about her. She is feeling terribly insecure and needs reassurance until she can get past it. 3 weeks isn't that long in the world of adults but indeterminable to a 3 year old who doesn't understand what is going on and why her mummy appears to have disappeared. Her father can really bridge that gap too if he can talk to her gently about her mum's new job and try to make her understand.