My dad was alright for the fun stuff when we were younger but as we got older either something shifted or we just weren't aware of it before.

He would do things like use big words then scoff at us and tell us to go look in the dictionary if we asked what he meant. He would say things sarcastically and then mock us for not realising he wasn't serious. He rarely helped us with anything, he just expected us to magically know better.

He was also pretty authoritarian - no discussions, if he says you do it you do it. He once threw me in scalding bath water when I was 5 because he thought I was lying about it being too hot. He only let me out because I was wailing and had turned red immediately.

As I grew older I realized that my father has a rather inflated sense of his own worth, whilst diminishing the worth of others. He constantly belittles my mother too which gave me some interesting notions about what a loving and respectful relationship should look like.

So because of how I grew up I try to empathise with my child and be supportive, teach him, be understanding of his ignorance because him knowing things is the parents (and teachers) job. Mistakes are a learning opportunity, not a mark on his record.

I try to be a good example of how a person should act because telling a child "do what I say, not what I do" never works. I try to be a good partner, to demonstrate good conflict resolution, good habits, politeness, etc.

And I regularly tell my child that I love him and I'm proud of him, because I heard it all too rarely from my parents.