To Kill a Mockingbird: Atticus' Parenting Skills
In today's society, the existence of a family that can call itself "perfect" to say the least, is, extremely uncommon. Parents have problems and arguments - some handle the pressure and can strengthen their bonds, learning from such situations; others grab a pen, sign divorce papers and try to move on. Happily, with a trusty maid like Calpurnia, ready to discipline the children at any moment, and with a devoted and virtuous father like Atticus, it is important to emphasize that this is not the case of the motherless siblings: Scout and Jem. Although one could argue that the children do not have much of a feminine influence in their lives, Atticus' parenting skills are formidable, helping the children think logically and building sturdy moral foundations, capable of withstanding the many forms of illogical and racist reasoning witnessed during Tom Robinson's trial.
First and foremost, Atticus is an excellent parent because of his many traits and beliefs to which he stands up for and fights for. Academically, he is a man of words, and his choice to sit down and read is, naturally, something his children imitate - the influence this has can be witnessed on the first chapters when Scout goes to school and is scolded by Miss Caroline for knowing how to read and write in cursive. Moreover, he's a calm man; he never lashes out at someone calling him a negro-lover. What's more is that Atticus has immense patience. He is always there for Scout's and Jem's talks about their inner conflicts. One superb of this is when Atticus waits for Scout's cussing phase to end. In his own words "bad language is a stage all children go through, and it dies with time when they learn they are not attracting attention with it" [page 92, chapter 9], showing that Atticus knows better than to give Scout the attention she wants, unlike Uncle Jack. On the other hand, this also shows excellent understanding of how children work and think....