Advice needed - boyfriend makes no effort with my child.

Hi, Looking for any advice I can get here. I'm 26 and have been in a relationship with my boyfriend, who is 34, now for almost 3 years (in July). He is wonderful and we have a great time together, when it's just the two of us that is. As my ex often takes my 7 year old daughter overnight at weekends, we have been lucky to have a good amount of time just for us for the past few years. He is great to me and often treats me to music festivals, dinners etc., and I love him to bits. However when it comes to him spending any time with me and my child, he is completely disinterested. There's been an issue with contact between my ex and my daughter recently meaning that I don't have any free time whatsoever, and this now means that we spend very little time together, as anything I do with my child, I do alone. This morning he was even meant to come over for breakfast but then decided that as my daughter and her friend were present, he didn't want to be in their company and didn't bother. The thing is, he wanted me to move in a few months ago and I can't understand his thinking - he wants to pick and choose when he is around kids (albeit he normally chooses, just about never), but then he wants to live with one? He tells me that my child is 'difficult' with him, but I've told him that it's because she barely sees him, he doesn't do anything with her, so why would she be accepting of this stranger. He can hardly just wander into her life and demand respect. He seems to view my child as an inconvenience more than anything, something he will accept to be with me, but how can that ever be enough for me if I'm looking for someone to be a family with? If our relationship was still new I wouldn't even be thinking of this, but now we're 3 years down the line and it still seems that our future is so uncertain. How can there be a future if he refuses to be around kids? I hope some sense can be made of this - if anyone has been in the same boat or can offer any advice, it would be appreciated. Thanks

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