"It's alright if you'd rather not talk about it," he said with a bit of a sigh. "I... know I haven't really given you much cause to feel like you could be open with me."

There was an awkward pause as he considered how to continue. Why did words come so much easier when it wasn't his children he was addressing? "I'd... like to apologize for that. If I've made you feel unwelcome, or like you were an intrusion or a burden, you should know that that's entirely a result of my own awkwardness. It's no reflection on you."