I'm a four star general in this thing, and you don't rise to the ranks of a four star general by hanging about the house being the perfect dad.
Your source material is the people you know, not those you don't know, but every character is an extension of the author's own personality.
I mean, Eighteen years old is the age of consent in Europe and you can go anywhere and do anything you like. In America, it is dumb. At eighteen you should be able to do anything that you like, except get married.