Tell him to work hard, always do what he's told, never question things, and you'll find success at the end of that rainbow. OK, now throw all of that stuff out the window, and be a man that raises your kid to actually be a man who respects people.

Being a man who respects people doesn't necessarily mean that you're weak. A friend of mine once said, "Do not mistake my kindness for weakness." Our kids need to be allowed to question things. Do we want mindless children who follow every single rule, or a kid who knows who he really is inside? Do we want a child who has a personality that he photocopied from a TV show? I know that I don't.

I am guilty of letting my son watch a little too much TV, but I'm constantly telling myself, "Summer is coming, I'll pull the plug then." I'm asking, why wait? Take a quick hike in an evening, have your kids stick their hands in the mud, feel the earth squish between their little fingers. Help them open their little minds up to adventure; you won't regret it. My son is my first responsibility – before fishing, before my friends – he is my responsibility to raise into a good man.

Honesty is another key element in raising a man's man. Everyone respects an honest man – or at least they should. Telling your kid that you trust them enough to know what they are saying is truth, that goes a long way with them. Knowing they have a daddy who will walk them through hard times, and teach them how to handle those hard times on their own someday, that alone will breed honesty into your child.

Discipline: yes, it's needed, and we hate to do it. My son is 7, I spanked him once when he was 3, and I haven't since. It's not that I'm against spankings, it's that the trust I've cultivated between my son and I requires no spankings. He was going through a mouthy phase, saying borderline rude things, so I went to the wood shop, made a paddle, and called him downstairs to the shop. I handed him a piece of sandpaper and said, "I need you to sand something for me." When I handed him the paddle, his expression went blank. He knew. "Is this for me?" he asked. "Do you need it?" was my reply. "No way". So he sanded it, and it's hanging on the shop wall, covered in dust. He definitely doesn't have fear of being disciplined; he does have respect for it, though. I'm convinced that he also knows it breaks my heart to have to correct him, so his kind little heart would rather avoid that.

Friendship with your kids makes a huge difference. Your kids tell their friends everything, just like we did as kids. Finding that line where friendship and fatherhood co-exist is almost impossible. Obviously making those choices varies for every dad. Use your gut instinct; it usually steers me right.

Being a friend in hard times is great; being a father in hard times is hard. Friends say whatever makes you feel better sometimes, but dads cannot do that. Comforting your kid – and letting him know that things will get better – is the best thing to do. It's honest. Things will get better, most problems kids encounter are not really life-altering, until a certain age. My son is not yet in his teens, so I can't really comment on what sort of chaos surrounds those years.