Andrew McCarthy

And it took the friendship to a deeper level, you know, in a way that was not in any kind of sentimental way, but just in a real and a profound way.

Like, you know, you mean a lot to me.

You meant a lot to me then.

You mean you're still with, you know, still part of my life.

And that's important to me.

And I think that's huge.

Yeah, I think that's really true.

I mean, kids don't listen, right?

We tell them all these wise things and they don't listen to us, but they certainly learn by the behavior that we model for them, you know?

And so I realized that was a very, I mean, there's a discovery I made on the road when people were talking, when some guys were talking about it, and I realized, oh, wow, that hit me like a ton of bricks when I, oh my God, I've been a real failure of mine as a parent, has been modeling sort of

the import and behavior of friendship.

Like my wife is wildly social and has friends coming and going all the time, so luckily they have exposure to it and not just this isolated kind of guy, dad.

But that was a big wake-up call for me to go, that's a real... Yes, I can be there and go to the games and do all the stuff and make the breakfast, you know, all that stuff.

But no, just being, behaving in a...

in that way, a way of friendship, was something I did not do well for them.

And, you know, when the book ended, you know, spoiler alert, near the end of the book, my son hears me laughing, talking to a friend of mine on the phone.

And he goes, Dad, it's so nice to hear you laughing, talking to your friends on the phone.

You just didn't used to do that.

And to which I said, well, you're the one who started all this, Sammy.

You're the one who told me I had no friends.