To be a good Dad, look to the history of the Oval Office

“My father, Theodore Roosevelt, was the best man I ever knew,” wrote the 26th President of the United States.

His father, Theodore Roosevelt, Sr., died when Teddy was just 19 years old. TR wrote fondly of the senior Roosevelt, saying he “combined strength and courage with gentleness, tenderness, and great unselfishness,” pushing his four children academically, athletically, and interpersonally. He instilled a sense of the outdoors in the young, sickly future Rough Rider - who suffered from debilitating childhood asthma but would grow to be remembered for his bold and adventurous spirit.

As we approach Father’s Day, we appreciate our own Dads (should we be lucky enough to have them) and - for those of us with children - anticipate the flood of golf clubs, power tools, and neckties. To understand the effect fathers can have on children, let the history of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue be our guide.