I would have to agree with Solenoid,too many fathers are busy with work,hobbies,etc. and end up neglecting their kids.I believe I heard a report that the average father spends less than 4 minutes a day in conversation with his children.I have been guilty of this at times and am striving to correct it.

Every father should have a framed copy of the lyrics to Harry Chapin's song, Cat's in the Cradle, hanging in his home.

I always think that with all of the working I did during my children's youth that I didn't spend nearly enough time with them, especially my daughter, as I wish I had. Maybe that's why she turned out the way she did. Biggest regret. Only problem is, if I hadn't worked then we wouldn't have had food and necessities so wasn't much of a choice. Not like I worked for frivolity. Glad now that I don't have to work anymore and can help her, with her children.

I've always spent as much time as possible with my kids and I don't really have any regrets. Having said that I still wish I would have spent even more time with them. I did work alot of overtime when I was young but that was just something that had to be done. But I'm content in the knowledge that I did the best I could with my time.

The older I get (and I'm well along that path already), the more I look back and think I could have spent more time with my children, despite the fact that objectively speaking my wife and I spent a lot of time (and to use the PC term, quality time) with them. However, I still find myself thinking back on times that I could have spent more time doing more fun things with them. So, now I'm trying to doi it with our grandson.

I always tried to spend as much time with my children as possible, but when I was younger I had to work 2 and 3 jobs to help pay bills. I wish I had done more with my children, they are grown now. Sometimes we seek things instead of what's really important and we don't even know we are doing it until it's too late.

With every year that passes, I worry about it more. Somewhere between trying to make a living for them and then trying to make my mark on the world I know I am missing opportunities to see my kids grow. At the same time I know that all I do, in some way is for them. Even when I am out gigging with the band the money is serving their needs, not mine. I just know that the weekends keep going by when I am home only on Sundays (very often) and I only have a finite number of those weekends left. I hope they understand when they grow up. We can all become slaves to our calling in life. I just hope that they know that I loved them more than my own life itself. I believe they do.

For some parents, this isn't a problem at all. But for some, one of the biggest dissappointments is not spending enough time with their child. They have never watched them grow up or spent intimate times with them and they wish they could have been closer to their children. But it is never too late to catch up and get to know your children.

It's sad how this affects both the parents and the children... The children learn to deal with the absence quite easily (not necessarily happily, but they do adjust). After all, it's difficult to miss something you've never had. They associate the void as a normal part of everyday life.

This could lead to problems, like dropping out of school, or a path of problems down the road.