Vaterliebe

The father is, after the mother, only the second most important attachment figure for the child. Why is that? Why is fatherly love not as taken for granted as motherly love? Why do we feel more distance than closeness when we think of our fathers?

Being a father can represent the pinnacle of a man's development. Just like climbing a mountain, it requires determination, patience, and perseverance. Many men have not been able to learn how to be a father from the example of their own fathers because they were absent or emotionally unavailable. It must then be painstakingly learned through trial and error. When Victor Chu looks back today—after 30 years of being a father—he asks himself: What would I tell the young man I was back then as an older father? Which hopes have been confirmed, and which have proven to be illusions? What would I warn him about? What would I do the same, and what would I do differently?.