Welcome to the forum. We bought my parents the new iPad recently for their 50th wedding anniversary and they are getting on brilliantly with it. If you live near an Apple store, it is well worth signing up for their free iPad classes as these are invaluable for new users unless you have someone to show you how to use it. If you know anyone who is pretty familiar with an iPhone or iPad, they should be able to help set you up. Watch YouTube video tutorial, but most importantly, keep playing with your iPad and see what it can do.
Perhaps your son is trying to convince you to pass it on to him!