This comes from the origins of his father teaching him by example. The father was a figure that the son looked up to, who gave him confidence in his father. However, people don't stay young forever. Even though his father has slowed down, the trust remains, and now that his father can no longer be seen as a beacon of help, the son no longer sees his father as a helpful figure. This is not evident in “The Writer” as the father encourages independence: “It is always a question my dear, / Of life or death, as I had forgotten. I desire /What I desired you before, but stronger” (“Writer” 31-33). In this last tercet, the father talks about the difficulties his daughter will face in writing stories, some will succeed and live, others will fail and die. It's all part of growing up and he has faith that she will be able to work through them. While his daughter is still young, it can be inferred that if he continues to raise her as he does, he will develop his own methods of dealing with her problems. Ultimately, the two children's development was greatly influenced by their actions