It made me smile that you mentioned him asking for trivial things like to take care of his belongings. My YF does the same thing, to the point where others have commented on how "demanding" he is. Of course, I love doing these little things for him.

I think those are all different signs of affection... he's showing you that he knows you care about him, and that he cares about you. It shows that he trusts you, which I think is hugely valuable. I don't think "father figure" is really on his mind, but he is demonstrating that he likes you being in his life, and you definitely have an opportunity to be a good male role model.

I'd wager that he talks about you at home - boys usually love talking about the things that make them happy, and it's pretty clear that you make him happy.

Gabe

p.s. You asked me about my YF in an email, and I'm sorry that I haven't gotten back to you. Things continue to go well, if a bit quietly. Sometimes I don't get to spend as much time with D as I'd like to, largely because I'm trying to plant myself firmly on his parents' good side, and don't want to be there "too much". I'm not sure if I'm tackling things exactly the right way, but it's working okay and I'm learning.