Child is the father of man

I often compare the relationship that I had with my father with the one that my son has with me.
I used to really respect my father- Partly even fear him. I would rarely question his decisions.. Would never argue with him and really look up to him. For me, he was the real “father figure”
My son, on the other hand, considers me more of a friend, chats openly with me on any topic.. To him, I am more of a friend than a father.
As a child, I spent hours reading and playing physical games like soccer and cricket. My son plays more on the computer and watches a lot of TV.
Due to more (not to be necessarily read as better) media exposure, he is much better informed and mature then I was at his age.
I often wonder if I lost a lot of my life studying things that I did not like or is my son really living up his life watching TV programs that he does not understand!!
Was my relation better with my father or my son?
Am I a good father? One can teach one’s kids to chose between the right and wrong but cannot make the choice for them.
Is the father-son relationship (like I had with my dad) better than the friendly-father relationship (that my son has with me) to help in imparting in your kids the ability to make the right decisions?
There are a lot of things that I learn from my son about how the generations are changing. Did my dad learn similar things from me ?
I wonder…