Sounds just like my own dad, The Greatest generation grew some good ones for sure.
He was a fine man and my hubby acts alot like him. No one nowadays tells kids this kind of stuff, it is a pity. Mostly they get advice on prenups, etc, dual careers. They really need parents to start saying these things and to live that kind of life.
And .. if you go back and look at Reagan's childhood .. it was not very nice. He had a lot of emotional obstacles to overcome growing into adulthood.
When people become emotional cripples because of difficult family issues in childhood .. how many times is it because the person themselves was too weak to overcome it .. and then people like Reagan can propel themselves to the very pinnicles of life - the Presidency.