One Stroke Over Par

So, my dad recently had a stroke that landed him in the hospital for a while.  First off: he's now home and seems to be doing alright, and his future prospects look good assuming he makes some drastic changes in lifestyle.

Regardless, it got me thinking.

You know all of those movies/shows/books where family is supposed to be all magical and whatnot?  Well, I don't buy into it.  I like to think that my position comes from the same irreverent mindset that makes me an atheist, but I'm also left wondering how much it has to do with my own history with family.  Besides the whole mother thing, I just don't have that much.  It's me and my dad, and that's pretty much it.  But that's not the point of all this...

It was a stark moment when my dad all but broke into tears in the hospital.  He was telling me that, even assuming this one visit turned out minor, there's going to be more such incidents in the future, probably over the course of decades.  And he didn't want to be a burden.  He was in the hospital for days after a stroke, but that's what he was thinking about: he doesn't want to be a burden.  That's why he didn't want me spending that much time there, that's why he was reluctant to ask me to bring him anything, that's why he wouldn't ask me to visit more.  He just doesn't want to be a burden.

How does an only son respond to that?

I gave him a hug.  I tried to reassure him.  I made fun of his (lack of) hair.  Should I stop that last one?