Atticus Finch

In Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is a lawyer, single father, and a well-respected man in Maycomb County. The most important of these roles, however, is being the single father to Jem and Scout Finch. His mentoring and kind words are always there when the children want them and even sometimes when they don't. He is able to guide the children with a firm yet gentle hand, he protects his children from harm but does not shelter them, and he teaches his children the tough lessons of life. Atticus is a model citizen and a model father, but he is almost more of a friend to the children than a father. He is someone they can come to in times of trouble or in times of happiness. He is their ever faithful friend and ever faithful father.
The first thing that makes Atticus a good father is his ability to comfort the children in their times of confusion or frustration. This is displayed in the novel when Scout is upset because she was in trouble for making fun of Walter Cunningham's eating habits. This is what Atticus says to Scout: "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…Until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." He is trying to explain to Scout that even though someone is different than you or does things different than you, you can't judge them or dismiss them because they are still human beings just like you. For Scout, this means that she can't make fun of Walter Cunningham for being different because she has no idea what he's been through and why he is the way he is. She knows he is poor, but she doesn't know much about his life other than the fact that he lives on a farm and can't go to school in the spring. This display of wisdom and gentility from ...

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...hem. He is a father that wants to be involved in his children's lives and wants them to know that he will be behind them all the way in whatever they decide to do. Atticus will never turn down an opportunity to talk to his children, especially if he can make a teaching moment out it. His counsel is a welcome part of the children's lives and even through his fatherly wisdom, they still consider him a friend.
Even if Atticus seems to some to not know much about parenting, there are lessons we all could learn from him. He believes that children have great capacities to live, learn, and love, and treats them with this belief in mind. He doesn't sugar coat the truth or try to coddle the children. He treats them kindly, but also uses firm discipline when necessary. He is a great father who understands his children better than most, and for that, he should be respected.