A good father is someone that loves his kids and is fun, but plays it safe at the same time. After reading the short story "Powder" by Tobias Wolff I am convinced that the father in this story is irresponsible and not fit for the job of being a father. The love is there but the father puts both his son and his own life in danger when he crosses the barrier into the fresh powder. Not only is he putting both their lives in danger when he does this but he is also displaying irresponsible/illegal behavior witch could rub off on his son causing him to make irresponsible decisions in the future. He is a bad role model for his son due to a variety of things.
             First off, the father is very irresponsible. He makes a promise to his wife that he would be home in time for dinner. Even though there were delays due to bad weather, he could have avoided them if he had left when he was supposed to instead of getting in his "Last run" witch turns out to be several. This is another point where the father displays irresponsible behavior. Not leaving when he was supposed to and getting in a few more runs was not the right thing to do. Did I mention he was also breaking the law by moving the barrier? He sounds like a great role model right?
             Secondly the father cannot keep his promises and doesn't know how to spend his money wisely "The old heap was almost new. My father couldn't afford it, and kept promising to sell it, but here it was", also if he was planning on selling the car it wouldn't be smart to take it into these bad conditions risking damage witch would reduce the value. The way that he tried to change subjects when the son asked where the officer went seems like somewhat shady behavior after making the phone call. The mother obviously knows that he is not a suitable father because she was wary about letting him go with his father on this trip.
             Thirdly he is self centered and he doesn't ...