What is a 'good' father?

Question

What attributes does such a person have?

Answer 1

A good father looks out for the best interests of his children, by encouraging them in all areas of their lives. A good father recognises little differences in his children and individual strengths and abilities, and nurtures and encourages these.

A good father respects the mother of his children, no matter what the situation.

A good father never involves his children in adult issues.

He is a haven for his children to run to with any problem and any question.  

A good father involves himself in his children's lives fully, and does not question the importance of his children over work, or other.

Answer 2

Compassion, compromise, love, backhand.

Answer 3

My dad taught me how to be a good person, how to listen to others and treat them with respect.  He also was the creator of the "great adventures" where we would take a day and do something absolutely wonderful and never realize we were learning along the way.

A good dad is patient and kind, but firm when he needs to be.  He always has a tissue and a bandaide in his pocket.  He can make you laugh in the midst of your tears.  He may not always have the answer, but he is always there when you need one.  

He knows how to use a broom and a vacuum and cook a meal just in case.

Answer 4

A good father must first of all be unconditionally loving, truthful, respectful, impartial in judgement, fair, non-hypocritical and able to say sorry when he makes mistakes. He must be able to encourage the best in his children but nurture and support rather than criticise when they fail. He should be easily forgiving and praise his kids often, letting them be who they are but gently guide them away from harm. A father should protect, build self-esteem and praise his kids often. He should create a sense of boundaries to create security and physically embrace his kids and instil in them an idea of approval. He should have fun often with them and create circumstances so that they them enjoy life and be the hero to rush in to keep them in safety. A good father needs to wrap all these attributes in a good sense of humour where he can laugh at himself and have silly moments with the kids, so as not to be too serious and teach the kids to look on the positive side of life whenever possible.

He should honour the kids mother at all times and show them how a man should treat a woman, with love, tenderness, patience and affection. He should adore his children along with their mother.

Now, enough about me and lets move on to the next question....hehe! Only kidding.

Answer 5

My father. He taught me to be curious and have interest in the world. To try new things. To develop and use common sense. To challenge myself and allow no one to put restrictions on me because of my gender. He taught me to ski as a three-year-old (how's THAT for patience) and we still ski together every winter (he is 74). He is loving and faithful to my mother (after 51 years of marriage), adores my daughter to pieces, built the kitchen cabinets in my house, opens a fresh bottle of whatever color wine I prefer when I come over to visit and nags me to take care of myself when he thinks I'm working too hard.

Truly the best man in the world.

Answer 6

caring, fair, employed, makes parenting a split effort, not just all on one person. This is just the kind of thing I'm going to keep in mind if i'm ever a dad, so idk, you might have different thoughts.

Answer 7

well they would love their children with all there heart and know how to raise them properly. also the would be willing to die for the kids.

Answer 8

I am a 60 year old man with two daughters who are now both adults. What I discribe below I still do now as I did before. I hope this helps explain what I feel a "good" father is.

I feel as a father that I learned and listened to my father all to well. When my daughters were young and one of them did something wrong, I would start to go into evil father mode. About one third of the way along, I would here my father saying the exact same words. Words I promised myself I would never say to my children. So out came the final words of my argument "Go to your room". I once asked my dad about that and he answered why do you think I would say "Go to your room", it was because he was hearing my grandfather.

I believe the most important thing a father or a mother for that matter can do for their children is listen. Listen to their stories. Listen to them talk to others. Listen to them talk to themselves. Listen to them playing. Listen to the sleep. And listen to them when they make no noise. I teach them without them knowing it. I show them right from wrong. I tell them if it is broken and you try to fix something, see what you will learn. If it now works what a wonderful thing you have learned. If it is still broken what a wonderful thing you have still learned, because not everything can be fixed and it was broken in the beginning. I teach them to share, care, learn, watch, listen, and to try.

I hope that when I am out of their sight and ears, then say that I am a "good" father and a "good" man.  

Answer 9

I think it is measured much the same as a mother. Tolerant, loving, steady, and compassionate. Fathers are in my opinion the most important man in a woman's life, they will shape what she grows to be whether good or bad. My real father was never present but my Daddy taught me what real men where. Its not DNA donations but the actions later. I picked a husband with the same qualities and hope to raise my son with them.

Answer 10

Someone who is always there whenever you need him. Someone caring, loving, thoughtful.

Answer 11

He should be kind and nurturing obviously but what a father really brings into it is subtle, he should show honesty, temperance, tolerance, integrity, directness, control of emotions, respect, fair play, generosity and be seemingly immune to emotional blackmail and passive aggression.