My older half-brothers tried but they were already married and out of the house raising their own families. Mom tried her best but a young boy needs a dad.
I found a dad (of a sort) with Ben Cartwright, the patriarch of the Cartwright clan consisting of Ben and his sons Little Joe, Hoss and Adam. I remember being totally enthralled by each and every episode of the series and wished, in my youthful mind, that I had a dad like Ben.
Mom and I watch Bonanza faithfully for years and when Adam left we were devastated. When Hoss died and then Little Joe's wife was killed we wept along with Ben.
Paramount Pictures presents Bonanza: The Official Fourth Season Value Pack that showcases the trials, tears, triumphs and often turbulent lives of the Cartwright clan of the Ponderosa ranch. Besides containing all of the Fourth Season episodes in the DVD set look for some very special features in and about the Ponderosa ranch and the Cartwright family and the actors who portrayed them.