I think the phrase highlights the differences in generations, and also how much a father really knows what his son is up to. ;)

This point was also raised by Homer, the "father" of western literature, in his Odyssey when Telemachus, upon being asked by Pallas Athene whether or not he was the son of Odysseus, replied: It is a wise child who knows its own father."

Hi Safaa, this is from 'The Merchant of Venice' In the play, this line is a remark from a frivolous almost 'no good' but witty son to a near blind father who has failed to recognize the son he has set out to meet.