Sarek watched as his son slept, cuddling I-Chaya.
The sehlat shifted towards him, eyes blinking, and then settled back to rest his huge head next to Spock's.
His son had cried prior to falling asleep.
Sarek noted this fact dispassionately. The cause of that crying had him wrestling down a murderous emotional reaction.
Displaying emotion was not the Vulcan way. He had never had difficulty staying in control of his emotions — until Amanda. He understood his father's words of caution now. A spouse is both a blessing and a curse.
Amanda had shown him what poor control of his emotions he actually had. It became a challenge to show the traditionally stoic Vulcan face to the world.
He knew, logically, it was not Amanda's fault. Vulcans were a passionate people. That was why they controlled themselves so fiercely that they were considered emotionless by the rest of the Federation.
But as much as loving Amanda had tested his control, once Spock had been born his control was tested further.
Was he correct in pushing his son down the path of Vulcan? He believed so. With Vulcan passion and human volatility, Spock would be hard-pressed to maintain control of his impulses. Setting a Vulcan fire on the universe without the control of logic would be... unfortunate. The rigidness of the Vulcan way of life was be the best way forward.
He had never dreamed that the young of his fellow Vulcans would be so cruel. The prejudice of their parents echoed down through the children to hurt his son.
Spock must learn to be more Vulcan than Vulcans to earn acceptance. It was not fair, but it was the way of the world.
"You have a hard road ahead of you my son. You will be worthy of the challenge."