The relationship between father and son prepares the boy for adulthood. Khaled Hosseini uses the complex and emotional bond between fathers and sons in The Kite Runner to show the need for a compassionate father figure in a child's life. He demonstrates Baba's way. Hassan and Amir act as fathers and form relationships throughout the novel. The father-son relationship between Amir and Sohrab reflects a combination of the contrasting parenting styles of Baba and Hassan. Family plays a significant role in a child's life (Children 4). At the beginning of The Kite Runner, Amir has nothing but his father to call his family; so it is up to Baba to develop his son into the person he wants him to be. However, it turns out that Amir is nothing like his father. 'He's always buried in those books or wandering around the house like he's lost in a dream... I wasn't like that.' Baba seemed frustrated, almost angry” (Hosseini 23). Baba uses his son's conflicting interests as an excuse to provide Amir with the paternal bond he needs during his childhood. This does not mean that Baba is a bad person, just not he is able to accept his son's different interests in the beginning. One of the few moments where Baba and Amir come together as a family is when Baba explains that the only sin to commit is theft. He says, “Every other form of sin is a variant of theft” (Hosseini 19). Although they are in agreement, what Baba says is ironic because he steals Amir's right to have a father while neglecting him and his conflicting interests. “At this age, a son wants a lot to please his father and receive his approval and acceptance” (Williams). Growing up, Amir constantly seeks his father's approval, but hardly finds it. Baba's inability to be comp… center of the paper… the true meaning of being a compassionate father figure from both experiences. Works Cited Children, Lauren B. Parental Bonding in Father-Son Relationships. digitalcommons.liberty.edu. Np, 2010. Web. April 3, 2014.Hart, Joeseh. "Father and son." Experience life. ©2014 LIFE TIME FITNESS, INC., September 2006. Web. 03 April 2014.Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead, 2003. Print.Pittman, Frank. "Fathers and Sons". Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist. Sussex Publishers, LLC, 01 September 1993. Web. 01 April 2014. Shaw, Jon A. "Andrew Wyeth and N.C. Wyeth: A Psychodynamic Perspective on Father and Son." Psychiatry: Interpersonal and Biological Processes 76.3 (2013): 187-202. Academic research completed. Network. April 3, 2014Williams, Charles D., PH.D. "THE LIFE CYCLE OF FATHER-SON RELATIONSHIPS."Dad. Np, nd Web. 02 April. 2014.