To Kill a Mockingbird Parenting

There are two main parents in this novel: Atticus Finch, father of Scout and Jem, and Bob Ewell, father of Mayella Ewell. They are contrasting characters; Atticus is generally shown as a decent person with good morals, and a good father, whereas Ewell is shown to be selfish and a bad father.

One of the main reasons Atticus makes a good parent is that he doesn't show off, and is modest; for example when the children find out Atticus was 'the deadest shot in Maycomb County in his time', he doesn't gloat about it, and the fact that the children had never discovered this before shows that Atticus feels it is unimportant. As Jem says; 'I reckon if he'd wanted us to know it, he'da told us. If he was proud of it, he'da told us.' This tells us that he isn't concerned about how he appears, because he isn't particularly proud of his reputation. The way Harper Lee writes 'he'da told us' twice, it shows Jem not only trying to convince Scout of it, but also himself.

In contrast, Harper Lee shows Mr Ewell to be quite the opposite. He hates Atticus because he 'destroyed his last shred of credibility'. This shows him to be concerned with his reputation, which means he will probably pay more attention to himself rather than his children, which could lead to them being neglected.
Atticus communicates with his children in a more friendly than fatherly way, shown at the beginning of the novel when Scout states that he treats us (Scout and Jem) with 'courteous detachment', and that they found their father 'satisfactory'. This term 'courteous detachment' shows that he isn't the type of father who tries to have an input in everything they do, but lets them grow up making their own decisions and mistakes, so when they reach adulthood they will be prepared. Scout finds her father 'satisfactory', but doesn't say whether this is enough for her. However, throughout the novel, the reader gets the impression that Scout is happy for her father to treat them in this way, and that she enjoys being independent from him as it means she and Jem can go on their adventures. Also, they don't call Atticus Father, or a similar paternal name; they refer to him as Atticus. This again implies their relationship is more of a friendly one. However, Scout still has respect for her father, because she often calls him 'Sir'.
He also knows when to get offended by what his children are saying, and when they are just being naive, for example when Scout asks why he was 'so old', he replies that 'he got started late' in a joking way, rather than being insulted and getting angry. This tells us he understands how children's minds work, and he doesn't take himself too seriously, and can tease his kids and act like a child himself.
Atticus teaches his kids to treat people fairly and avoid the prejudices of the town "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." This is his main principle in life, and he wants to make sure that his children realise this is the correct way to live. He tries to explain it in simplified ways to his younger child, Scout, and we then see her try to follow his advice throughout the novel; for example at the end of the novel when she comprehends Boo Radley's perspective on the neighbourhood. The word 'skin' is important in this quote, because this novel is about Atticus defending a Negro, so this quote could refer to black people and Scout trying to understand their place in the community and how to treat them.
When Scout asks about his defending of Tom Robinson, he tells her it is what anybody would do, when actually he means what any decent person would do.
'Do all lawyers defend n-Negroes, Atticus?'
'Of course they do, Scout.'
'Then why did Cecil say you defended niggers? He made it sound like you were runnin' a still.'
By saying 'of course they do', he is educating her to not even question whether one should help another person in trouble, with no regard to whether they are black or white. His children start life being oblivious to the racial tension in Maycomb, but Atticus brings them up in a way that ensures that as they become aware of it, they will not become prejudiced due to skin colour. By the way Scout says n-Negroes', we see that she is trying not to swear to please Atticus, as she is learning that it is wrong to say racist names.