Gotta give Ted credit

I agree. If only more parents would be that way with their kids while divorcing.

Totally agree.
And it was so sweet and heart-breaking that Billy seemed to be trying to do the same thing. He was trying to comfort Dad and trying not to cry (when he told dad to call him up if he got lonely).
Really shows how far Ted came in putting Billy first and developing a really solid relationship.

This is one of the most touching scenes to me of all movies. I havent' seen it in 10 years or more and it could still make me cry just thinking about it.

Yeah the man may have made some mistakes and a lot of people really don't cut the character much slack for that, but in the end he showed his true colors as a father and a man. The mother sure showed her true colors in the end as well, but in a negative way

As distraught and heartbroken as Ted was when he lost custody, he never let his son see that.....He was warm and loving and encouraging, which is exactly what his little boy needed at such an emotional time.
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Ted Kramer was a good-hearted and decent person and the book goes into more detail—as is to be expected—about it's characters and fleshing them out. We all have our flaws and foibles and Ted was no different; but he was also resilient and not so self-absorbed, as to understood his initial confusion over Joanna walking out on him was his to deal with and he made a big an effort as possible, too not project this onto Billy.

Ted couldn't know his son as well as Joanna due to being the breadwinner of the family and Joanna leaving to find herself and get a career, this was something only possible for her to do, without having Ted and Billy around. This gave her more of an advantage, as when they were together, Ted was still being a husband and father and monetary provider. Joanna leaving, left her with no dependents around to hinder her progress and personal growth.

Joanna walks out on something she felt she couldn't cope with, Ted learned how to cope with a dependent child, even after losing a job—loses 2 jobs in the book and is stoney broke at one stage—yet still gets shafted by Joanna and the system, because she gets societies free pass, just for being female. She wanted back half of what she walked out on and felt entitled to it; only to come to the conclusion she didn't really want it after all. Even after finding her newfound freedom, she still comes across as cold and selfish and appears to lack some kind of genuine honesty in her being.