Hi JimH,
I believe that there's no one way to suit all student-teacher pair.
Applying generalisation to individuals is perhaps a major root cause of
failures.

Some class teaching techniques are appropriate for classes, you have a
1-on-1 situation which is ideal in many respects, please take good
advantage of this 1-on-1.

Think about asking HIM how he learns best? No good just asking us. He
knows better than we do. You already know that he doesn't take negative
feedback well so give him possitive ones.

Some people are visual and not auditory -like me. If someone goes blah
blah blah at me I don't register, but draw pictures and write text then
I absorb everything. Some people prefer hands-on. Some people can copy
what you do, some, like me, can't copy unless we understand the logic
behind it first. Ask him HOW he wants to be teached. Remember there's
no one way for him either, so some things and sometimes you will need
patience of repetition.

He won't know all about how he learns either so it is a fun challenge
for you. For example, I would have a list of 101 things he needs to
learn, then let him choose what he wants to learn first. You can put
pre-requisites -but always point lessons to the item he picked to learn
about. That's his chosen goal.

(As a relevant anecdote, learning music step by step was no good for
me. Years later a wonderful teacher let me choose, I picked step 32 -a
relatively complex piece, that was my true step 1 to learn everything
else from).

Of course major safety items are non-negotiable.

If you sit down with him and brainstorm (and talk story) a check list
of preparations, then you can get him to own that list. He goes through
the check list BEFORE getting into the car. A list checked, not a
verbal soundwave of instructions to remember with no relevance
whatsoever to day-to-day life.

For most people early learning is best when the person feels 'safe',
incl safe from abuses/talk-down.

Sometimes complete learning comes best when (or only when) the person
is totally in charge. I suddenly became competent as a race yacht
foredecky/bowman when thrown in the deep end as totally responsible for
nighttime races where you couldn't see hardly anything let alone the
colours of ropes.

If you watch him expecting mistakes then he is more likely to make
mistakes.

If you seem superior and talk-down and get-mad then forget it.

I think it is more important to keep good dad-son relationship than to
successfully teach him. He can learn from someone else, but he can't
have another dad.

You can agree that there'll be tussles and just laugh them off, but if
things get out of hand then seriously consider getting someone else to
teach him till he is semi-competent then he can continue with you.

An opinion offerred. Hope it helps someone somewhere...
Solo Thesailor
http://sailingstoriesandtips.blogspot.com