I’ve been known to voice my opinion on the importance of fatherhood. How it’s equally as important as motherhood. Last week I was pleasantly surprised when I opened my inbox to read tips provided by Tom Watson, author of Man Shoes, on how to be a better father while trying to survive a faltering economy. I acknowledge that most of my readers are women, I still hope you’ll take a few minutes to read the tips, as well as feel free to pass them on to a father or father figure you know:

Share Time – Don’t spend time with your kids, because that term makes it sound like you are giving away time that you could be using for other things. Share time with them, because sharing indicates that you both get something out of that time. It’s important for your kids to know that you aren’t paying attention to them out of obligation, but rather, because you need to be with them as much as they need to be with you.

Make a Schedule – Stability and security are important to kids, so set up a time every week that is just for them, and do your best to make that time on your calendar immovable. Give them something they can look forward to on a regular schedule and it will show them how important they are to you and help you build a trusting relationship with them.

A Little Time is Better Than None – If you’re working two jobs or work out of town and commute home on the weekends, they will understand if you don’t have a lot of time to spend. Even if you can only block out a couple of hours every week, that can be enough. As long as you keep to the schedule and don’t let them down, that time will be as valuable as if you spent the entire weekend with them.

Don’t Plan Big – Parents who work a lot sometimes feel guilty about neglecting their kids, and they cater to that guilt by making big plans with their kids on a regular basis. They feel that doing something lavish and expensive will somehow be seen as a payback to their kids for not seeing them often. The pitfall is that the bigger the plan, the bigger the expectation. The truth is, kids don’t care. You don’t have to spend a lot of money or make big plans all the time. It could be as simple as going to the park to fly kites and eating a brown bag lunch together, and most kids would be happy with that.

Are there any parenthood tips you’d like to share? And isn’t this one of the cutest father and son moments ever?!