how successful is Atticus as a father

How successful is Atticus as a father?
In the novel ‘To kill a mocking bird’ there are two main characters Jem and Scout, the book is all about their experiences as they grow up. A big impact in this story is there father Atticus Finch; he has an impact to their lives as he is there father so the way he treats them, and acts is going to have an effect on Jem and Scout. Jem and Scout can show how successful Atticus is as a father; this is what I am going to be talking about, ‘how successful of a father is Atticus’.
In the novel Atticus Finch is shown to be a good father and a good role model to his children. Maycomb has different people living there with a lot of different views to how to raise children. Like Bob Ewell thinks that children do not need education and family come first, so he keeps them at home and does not let them go school. While there Aunt Alexandra thinks that children should be brought up traditionally, for example girls play with dolls and boys play sports. But Atticus has a different view to most people in Maycomb; he thinks that children should be brought up responsibly but still has fun as they grow up.
One reason for why I think Atticus is a good father is that he has taught or got Calpurnia to teach his children at home, even before they went to school. "She would set me a writing task by scrawling the alphabet firmly across the top of the tablet, then copying out a chapter of the bible beneath.” By this quote you can realise that Atticus is very responsible as he has found someone to be a mother figure to his children. Furthermore he has taught them already even before they started going school, this makes him reasonable as he is thinking about how he can make them more intelligent and get them the best future possible.
As a father Atticus is affectionate to Jem and Scout, by reading to them and always listening to them. Although he lets his children to have the freedom to play and explore Maycomb, he is also tolerant with them; and has always taught Jem and Scout that they should think of how their actions can affect others. For example when Jem spoils Mrs. Dubose’s camellias, Atticus makes Jem read to her every day. Throughout the time Jem and Scout reads to her they witness her battle against a morphine addiction and her dying from it. This is how Atticus taught Jem and Scout the true meaning of courage; "it's when you know you're licked before you begin but you see it through no matter what," this is what Atticus tells them after the death of Mrs. Dubose. This show that Atticus has a good balance between being fun and supportive of what his children do, and being the practical adult figure in their lives.
Atticus is a good role model as well as a father to Jem and Scout; I view Atticus as being a father, teacher and a friend to his children. Atticus shows Jem and scout how to be fair to all people, as a lawyer he has to do this for a job. He shows Jem and scout in the tom Robinson case how to be fair to all races and how to deal with racism. Also Atticus reflects on Jem and scout as he is not racist. For example Bob Ewell reflects on Mayella for being a terrible father, he lies and drinks. This has caused Mayella to lie about her actions to Tom.
In addition Atticus is a very caring not just as a father but as a citizen of Maycomb. He shows his consideration for Mrs. Dubose for being rude to people like Jem and Scout. As well as forgiveness for Mayella for lying about Tom Robinson. In contrast, Bob Ewell does not seem to care for Mayella, the only thing he does care for is himself and how other people see him. This is shown in the court, when Bob does not care that Mayella is upset, he only cares that she blames Tom not him.
To conclude I think that Atticus is a very successful father as he is a good role model for Jem and Scout to aspire to. As a father he has taught Jem and Scout life lessons such as ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ as they found out with Mrs. Dubose’s morphine addiction. Another one is how they should deal with racism as they learnt from the Tom Robinson case. Atticus is a fun loving father but also has discipline for his children. This makes him a successful father as he knows how children should be brought up.