As we age, our roles as fathers change. Like all relationships, fatherhood is not a static experience, nor is it easily described, and at times the path is unclear and confusing. How do we relate to daughters and sons as they mature? As teenagers? As adults? As caretakers and heads of their own families? How does one best find joy in their accomplishments and our hand in them? And how do we come to terms with their failures, which can so often feel like our own?

Believe it or not, there are answers, and with a little humor, plenty of understanding, and 50 years' experience, eminent authority in the field of development and master clinician Cal Colarusso, M.D., will ease your mind and answer your questions. He will guide you in exploration of the evolving role of the elderly father, from King Lear to your peers; the developmental tasks of late adulthood and how they interact (and sometimes interfere) with healthy familial relationships; and much more.

The Older Father: Life and Legacy of the Patriarch gives clear, familiar examples of the importance of understanding the experiences that mark the life of a father in his later years and provides a firm foundation for appreciating and recognizing the trials and joys of this significant stage of life.

This book encourages the older father to:

Relinquish his wished-for role of Paterfamilias
Deal with his mortality
Come to terms with his disappointments in the imperfections of children and grandchildren
Take credit for imparting desirable traits and behaviors to his children/grandchildren/mentees.
Stay vital and fully invested in his relationships.