I can really relate to a lot of what Homer went through with his father

It sounds like you can really relate to Homer's problems with your Dad, as you said...

The thing is that children are often very forgiving of their parent's mistakes, since, as Homer said, his Dad was his real hero in life, but even a child or teenager can become confused or angry and resentful of their parent's desires for their children - especially if it's not what their child already knew they were meant to become...

My own parents (long deceased) made some whoppers of mistakes in their lives, and so have I as an adult, but it's become easier for me to forgive them, now that I'm the age they were at the time, and find it's easier to understand life from an adult's point of view, and why they thought or did as they did...

I've also found that the worst thing a parent can do is force their children down the same exact path as they walked, since each person is given different gifts in life and usually knows, even as a child, what they are meant to excel in as an adult, but for their parents to force them down a path predetermined by Dad or Mom is usually only what the parent hopes them to be - and not what God's individual gift could allow them to become, if given the chance, since our gifts are given to us by God, but we are also given free will to chose whether they will be used or left unopened (in Homer's case, if he had become discouraged to the point that he decided to make the mine his life's work).

However, this should not be confused with knowing right from wrong, which is something handed down from one generation to the next - that IS something that a child should understand is to be trusted and obeyed as told to them by their parents, and is not subject to "doing things their own way" if only because they do not agree with what is being said...

Florida2

I posted elsewhere here about their actual relationship and I think the movie did a great disservice to his dad. Homer's book tells the true store and it was very different.

The book also gives a lot more detail about the company and the company town. It goes into the history of the coal mine, the company and how the government basically ruined it. That is a whole different subject though.

I respect your view and, in some ways, my life had some parallels. However, Homer's father was not negative about him. He was actually quite positive - but in a way that he (Homer's dad) thought he knew what was best for Homer. In the end, it turns out, he did not. He was very supportive of his son but this was aimed at some career that he thought would fit in with the local economy. The fact that he did not actually "know best" is not relevant. He was supportive throughout. It just took a while for him to realize what his son was good at. I grew up in a similar environment in the Appalachian mountains. My father was a farmer and a Marine. He also had no idea what I was good for but was supportive. I eventually went on to a great career also - not necessarily because of my father, whom I respect, but at least with his help. With a little help, most of us find our way through life.