Father’s Day is on its way, and even though I know it was invented by greeting card companies to instill just the right amount of guilt in our kids and wives to make them fork over $4 for a piece of paper that tells me what a great dad I am… it still makes me wonder… what makes a “great dad?”

In my humble opinion, a great dad is one that spends time with his kids. With the exception of (possibly) ice cream, I think there is no greater gift a dad can give to his kids than time.

Good, quality, fun time together is not just a gift that you give to your kids… it is a gift you give to yourself as well. Whenever I am with my kids and having a fun time, I try really hard to burn those moments into my memory, because I know they won’t last forever.

I think I feel this way about being a dad because of the way my own dad was with me as a child. He spent a lot of time with us, and I know I treasured those moments with him. The song, “Cats in the Cradle” by Harry Chapin really teaches us a lesson about the importance of spending time with your kids. Every time I hear it, I feel really fortunate that I can spend as much time with my kids as I do – which is partly thanks to a job where I don’t have to travel a lot and can have flexible hours.

To celebrate the great dads of the world, ManoftheHouse.com is holding a World’s Greatest TV Dad contest , and this contest got me thinking about the evolution of TV Dads, and if my own parenting style or perceptions of being a dad were inspired or influenced by any of them. I have to say, my parenting ideals and style of parenting were thankfully mainly influenced by my own parents.

Growing up, some of my favourite TV shows were “Different Strokes,” “Family Ties,” and “Growing Pains.” So I guess I grew up with some good TV Dads too, but I really think my own parents played the biggest role in influencing my parenting style. It is quite scary to sometimes hear my parents’ words coming out of my mouth when I talk to my kids.

Of course, I have read some great books about parenting that have really shaped my style of parenting as well..

That being said, if I had to name my favourite TV Dad in the contest, I’d say it was Steven Keaton from Family Ties, but I’m not sure why. I think I can just relate to him somehow, and the way he handled his son “Alex P. Keaton” was brilliant.

What qualities do you think make a “Great Dad?” Leave a comment and let us know.

I hope you all have a great Father’s Day and use it to spend some quality time with your kids. It is the greatest Father’s Day gift you can give to yourself.

And before you go, take a minute to head on over to ManoftheHouse.com‘s World’s Greatest TV Dad contest and vote for your favourite TV Dad… it will be interesting to see which TV Dad we all think is the personification of a “Great Dad.” It should tell us something about what qualities we all feel go into making a “Great Dad.”

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The fine print: I wrote this while participating in a blog tour campaign by Dad Central Consulting on behalf of P&G and received promotional items to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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