A parent returning from work needs a moment to arrive, and a child needs to know they will.

Both people in that doorway need something real, and the two things do not fit together. One has not finished leaving the day behind, and the other has been waiting since three o’clock and reads any pause as being turned away. Nobody is being unreasonable. The problem is timing rather than affection.

Say the shape out loud so it stops being a guess: a few minutes to change, then the rest of the evening properly. Then keep the second half exactly as promised, every time.