In the Early Times

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Is the father I wanted the father my children want me to be? In his fifties, writer Tad Friend grapples with the complexities of being a husband and father while seeking to understand his own father. Torn between two families and stages of life, he oscillates between feeling vigorous and facing the realities of aging. Tad reflects on his relationship with his father, Theodore Friend, a charismatic historian and former president of Swarthmore College, who was warm with others yet distant with his children. Tad describes attempts to connect with him as akin to "ice fishing." Now, as his father focuses on trivial matters, Tad discovers a collection of his father's passionate confessions, revealing a man far more complex than the logical figure he always knew. This revelation leads Tad to recognize self-destructive patterns he shares with Day, a secret they both kept hidden. These insights prompt Tad to reevaluate his roles as both a father and a son. Yet, he wonders if it’s too late for them to bridge their emotional divide. The quest for understanding and connection unfolds against the backdrop of life’s relentless passage.