Men's Group

I'm thinking that just sending a friend request and not bothering to also send a message explaining his reasons for contacting you after all these years is a little odd.

I'm not saying this applies to your situation, but sometimes when I get friend requests from people I haven't talked to in many years I assume they just want to nose around and satisfy their curiosity. There's been a few times when I approved the request, sent them a message, and didn't get a response. Those people get un-friended, even if they're relatives.

As for your situation, I say follow your gut feelings. The one thing that's clear from reading your post is that you owe him nothing. While this could an opportunity to establish some sort of communication or relationship it could also just open up old wounds.

Good luck in whatever you choose to do. I'm sorry your dad wasn't there for you. Every kid deserves an involved and caring father.