[gacook]

I hear ya there, Pat. I'm remarried and wife has 2 sons (currently 12 and almost 15). Their dad is pretty much non-existent in their lives. Every couple years, he'll take them for a couple weeks in the summer or around Christmas, almost never calls, IF they get a birthday present it's something cheap and always late...and they idolize him. So, it's up to me to try to teach them how to be men. I'm a bit old school, served time in the Army and expect things to be a certain way. I'm teaching them values they've never been taught, and expect them to work (school, some easy chores, etc).