It seems to me less like a mid-life crisis, and more his realization that if he keeps holding on to his 30-year-old anger and inferiority issues, they're going

It seems to me less like a mid-life crisis, and more his realization that if he keeps holding on to his 30-year-old anger and inferiority issues, they're going to cause issues for his kids, both directly and indirectly. I'm sure that Khoo and Holkins may have nudged him in this direction as well for the PA-related reasons he mentions in the article.