Little thanks given to daughter (3)
I believe the answer is:
tad
'little' is the definition.
(both can mean a small amount)
'thanks given to daughter' is the wordplay.
'thanks' becomes 'ta' (UK informal version of 'thank you').
'given to' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'daughter' becomes 'd' (genealogical abbreviation).
'ta'+'d'='TAD'
(Other definitions for tad that I've seen before include "Smidgen" , "little boy" , "Modest amount" , "Little bit" , "(A) bit, touch" .)