1. He probably has some time on his hands and is lonely. There are pros and cons there.
2. One of those love languages is touch. It's probably very important to him.
3. He loves his kids. They are a priority. I (47m with kids) have dated women without kids. They are sometime understanding, and sometimes not, that my kids come first. Which isn't to say the woman I'm dating isn't a priority. But, if something comes up and my ex and I have to work something out around a kid... both to take care of him and preserve a collaborative co-parenting relationship, yeah, sometimes got to cancel or reschedule.

I think that was a bit awkward, how he presented it. But, he was probably also showing you that he's proud of and loves his kids.