children is respect their mother. If you are married, commit to keeping your marriage strong and vital. If you are not married, it is still important to remain supportive and respectful of the mother of your children.

A father and mother who respect each other and let their children know it, provide a secure environment for their children. "If dad and mom accept each other then I must be accepted, too,'' is the hidden but powerful message. The best family education a child can ever get is having parents who respect and support one another.'' 2: Spend time with your children A father's time reflects the things he treasures most. If children feel that their father is not as thoughtful and concerned about them as he is with his other interests and involvements, they will realise they are not as valuable to their father, no matter what he says.

Treasuring children often means sacrificing. There is no greater love than a father giving of himself sacrificially for the betterment of his children.

3: Earn the right to be heard Most children cringe when they hear their mother say: "Your father wants to talk to you.'' All too often, the only time a father speaks to his children is when they have done something wrong. Fathers need to build channels of communication early in a child's life so that, when the time comes, dialogue about difficult subjects will be easier to handle.

Talk about everything as often as possible. Show your children that you are interested in their ideas, their views and their issues. Children want to be led, but fathers must first earn the right to lead them.

4: Discipline with a gentle spirit One of the greatest needs that kids have today is the need for guidance and correction. All children need discipline, not as a punishment but as a way to correct wrongdoing and develop character in them.

Discipline is a function of a father's love. Fathers should be calm and judicious, not hard-nosed or harsh. Remember, a child who rules the house will one day ruin the house, and most likely his or her life.

5: Be a role model Everyone smiles to see a little boy walking in his father's footprints, and many a father becomes choked up to hear his daughter say that the many she wants to marry is `just like you, dad'.

Fathers are role models to their kids. A girl who spends time with her father when she is young will grow up knowing how she should be treated and what she should expect from other boys when she is older. It is vital that the fathers set the standards for their sons.

A father can best teach his son the value of self-restraint and hard work. It is also a father who can champion the virtues of honesty and humility by admitting when he is wrong. Modelling, being a living example, is worth more to your children than anything you could ever tell them.

6: Be a teacher For far too many fathers, teaching is something somebody else does. However, the responsibility for teaching children rests primarily with parents. A father who teaches his children about why things are right and wrong, and encourages them to strive for excellence, is one who will be rewarded as his children make good choices.

A father should always be alert to every examples in which to teach his kids the lessons of life.

Ten tips to be a better dad know the meaning of family dinner time. Yet, the communication and unity built during this time is integral to a healthy family life.

Sharing a meal together (breakfast, lunch or dinner) provides structure to an often hectic schedule. It also gives kids the opportunity to talk about their lives. This is a time for fathers to listen as well as a time to provide advice and counsel. But, most important, it is a time to be together on a daily basis.

8: Read to your children In a world wired for sound, it is important that fathers make the effort to read to their children. Childhood is a time for learning. Learning comes first from seeing, then by hearing and reading.

Reading to your child encourages literacy as well as a crucial step in the lifelong process of self-improvement. A father's desire to see his children stand on his shoulders unfolds the moment he opens a book and begins to read.

9: Show affection Children long for a secure place in this fast-paced world of ours. They find it most often in the warm embrace of a parent. As children grow, so too does their need for acceptance and belonging. Such a need is met when a father offers a hug or a kind word and expresses his appreciation and love for his children. But showing affection doesn't stop there. It is the daily effort to let your children know that you love them.

10: Realise that a father's job is never done While there will come a time when you'll no longer coach your child's little league team, help with homework or go to PTA meetings, your support will always play a vital role in your child's life. Older teens and young adults will look to you for wisdom and advice if you've proven trustworthy in the past.