I'm 66 and I recently told my son that I was proud of him for the first time in his adult life, and the look on his face told me everything about the cost of assuming that providing for someone communicates the same thing as telling them they matter - Silicon Canals

"Most people believe that providing for your family is the deepest expression of love a parent can offer. The conventional wisdom, especially among men of my generation, is that actions speak louder than words."

"The one connection I couldn't get right was the simplest one. The verbal one. The one where you look at your son and say: I see what you're doing, and it matters, and I'm proud of you for it."

"I assumed he knew. I assumed the fact that I'd worked overtime, that I'd kept the roof solid, that I'd driven him to every appointment and every practice, communicated it clearly enough."

A father reflects on his relationship with his son, Danny, realizing that despite providing for him, he never verbally expressed pride. During a conversation, the father tells Danny he is proud, leading to a profound emotional reaction. The father recognizes that actions alone do not convey love and pride, highlighting a gap between providing and verbal acknowledgment. He reflects on his career as an electrician, noting the irony that while he mastered precision in his work, he failed to communicate his feelings to his son throughout his adult life.

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