Would you like me to come down and explain things to him? I hear OK is nice this time of year .
Here is what he needs to learn: his children need him. They need to feel that they can go to him to help take care of their needs. If he is not there for them now, they won't come to him when they might really need him in the future. This becomes more important for them as they get older, not less.
He probably doesn't realize that he will come to appreciate them more as they get older. I think many of us guys enjoy the kids more when they are elementary school age. They are lots of fun and bring out the kid in us. However, when it's fun time, they won't come to him for that, either, because they won't have a relationship with him. Some day when those kids are grown up, and they call home, he'll pick up the phone and hear, "Hi, Dad, can I talk to Mom?" Won't that be sad?
He needs to learn this. You can teach him, just like my wife taught me.
I feel like singing "Cats in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin.
SM
"If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment." Henry David Thoreau
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