Does Aristotle think I'm a good dad?

You just have to be very good at what you are good and you'll get his nod of approval

Some dad attributes and activities I excell at. I can carry him up hills, we're good at getting muddy, I'm always up for a kick about and a giggly wrestle. He will get taken to a lot of sport.

But can I dress him in an outfit that matches? Am I able to feign interest in the minutiae of nursery policy? Do I get bored of reading to him after the sixth book? You get the picture.

As long as I'm really good at the things I'm good at then I won't beat myself up and I'd like to think Aristotle wouldn't either.

A very good hedgehog

Aristotle asked what it was to be a good human and concluded that it was to excel at that which we are uniquely suited too. So a good eagle is one that can fly high, a good cheetah is a quick cheetah. Being a spikey ball scores big in the hedgehog community, roaring loudly less so.

This is ergon (it doesn't refer to parenthood but I'm spreading the jelly here a little).

A human's unique quality is reason. To live a good live we should reason as well as possible. We've been given reason so we should sweat our asset. Solve the problems of the mind, muse on logical, metaphysical things.

This is a handy view for a philosopher, so in this vein I've adapted the idea of ergon slightly to conclude that I'm great because I like a puddle.