Well, maybe it's not quite that bad, but...I'm trying to start a new relationship with my 24-year-old son from 1500 miles away. So this is an e-mail and IM kind of thing. I haven't seen him in 3-4 years and can't afford to for another few months or so. Thank God he's reasonably receptive to my efforts and responds in kind. He could just as easily have been all pissed at me or something. His mother wasn't all that easy to live with but I wan't fully present, either. Time has passed and I've done all sorts of personal work and now I'm trying to establish relations with him on...um...whatever basis I can. Of couse I'm his dad in a technical sense, but I don't feel I can approach him like that; like, "you should listen to me becuase I'm your father harumph." I guess it's more a matter of friendship and maybe big brotherhood. But I don't really know how he feels, only that he's been cooperative so far, like I said. OK, so now I'm rambling which means I don't really have anything more constructive to offer at this point - only that I'm glad to have a chance of being supportive for him, even if I don't completely understand or agree with everything he's doing.