[bad_user]

My son is almost 2 years old and I'm dreaming about all the things we'll be able to do together.

My dad was also too busy to do stuff with me while I grew up. He worked hard for a living, so I don't blame him. Life is hard and somebody needs to put money on the table.

Don't be too harsh on your dad. He may have been too tired or fed up with what he did to have energy left to teach you about programming.

And on the "waisted opportunity" I don't necessarily agree. You probably became a programmer because he was one, and because you had computers around. You started hacking stuff because it was fun, but if you had a father that was a bad teacher and that pushed you in areas you didn't like, then your passion could have faded away, because passion is a fragile thing.

[drbawb]

Agreed. My father didn't help as directly as he could've. But he worked hard, provided a good life, and because of his job all the materials I needed were either readily available or easily borrowed.

Honestly the greatest thing my dad ever did was give me his work phone-number (before e-mail was considered strictly a necessity.) Granted you can't answer for your kid all the time - but demonstrating your willingness to be available goes a long way in the mind of a child.