“A father is a man who expects his son to be as good a man as he meant to be.” ~Frank A. Clark
Fathers and sons. What is it with those guys, anyway? I mean, I’ve always heard about the quarrelsome dynamic that exists between men and their male offspring, and goodness knows, I’ve certainly been witnessing it first-hand for years now, but I still don’t understand it.
Maybe I wasn’t prepared because I’d never been exposed to it personally before I began living it. I have brothers, but they’re of the step variety, so we didn’t grow up in the same household. Certainly there was some tension between them and our dad at the times they lived with us, but I always thought that was because they moved in with us as they were becoming young men after being separated from their dad for so long. And Brian has never indicated that he went through any significant drama with is own father. So how was I supposed to know what was lurking in the wings?
All I know for sure is that my husband and son have not particularly seen eye to eye on much of anything since the kid hit driving age. And whatever frustration it is they feel for each other is exacerbated by the fact that neither of them can see—or at least won’t admit—how very much alike they are. I keep thinking things will eventually improve, but I think at least one of them is going to have to grow up first.
