I don't know enough about parenting to tell you the technical details about being a good parent...but I can give you my opinion as a man who grew up with no father figure in my life. My advice isn't going to really apply for another few years, so keep this opinion in mind once your child is old enough to understand you and start developing as a person.

Don't tease or make fun of your child.

If there's anyone a child should be able to turn to when they're feeling down or confused, it's their parents. If you have a son, and he likes reading comic books, or wants to play with barbie dolls...don't call him a pussy, or try to "toughen him up" so to speak. If you have a daughter and she becomes a tomboy or a bookworm, don't try to feminize her or tell her how she "should be".

Don't try to force them down a certain path in life.

It doesn't matter if you played football in high school, or if your family has been joining the military for generations. Hell, it doesn't matter if you're a gamer, or a comic book geek. Don't force try to force your child to be into the same things you are/were. Support them, and guide them when they need it, but stand back when they don't. If you're former military, and they don't want to enlist, then support them. If you're anti-war and they want to join the Marines, support them.

Don't talk to your child like they're a child.

I'm a firm believer in raising your child as if they were a miniature adult. Talking down to them, or using "baby talk" and the like, is a mistake. Talking to them rationally, and using adult language, will result in a well adjusted, well spoken child.

Don't be afraid to admit when you're wrong, or don't know something.

A lot of the arguments I see among parents and children, and one I certainly had in the past, stem from a "But why?", "Because I said so!" style of conflict. Have a logical reason for the things you do. The things you say. If you can't come up with a rational motive for something you're telling your child to do, then consider that. Don't just fall into the "Me parent. Me boss." argument.

If your child comes to you with a question about life or the world, and you don't know the answer, tell them that. Perhaps help them come up with their own answer, or research it with them. It will help them develop and will bring you closer together.

Be there for them.

There will be times when being a father and partner will overwhelm you. Don't be one of those men who hides behind a computer, or in their office at work. Escapism is one of the worst traits a parent can have in my opinion.

Be selfless.

This one won't really impact you for a couple of decades...but take heed.

I'm 30 years old, and I've gone from a loving, caring son who respects his mother, to someone who dislikes her very much, and avoids interacting with her at all costs. Because she has become a narcissist in her old age.

She shows absolutely no interest in me or my life unless she needs something from me, or wants to vent. If/when she calls me, she may say "how are you?" but as soon as I say "good, just working, the usual." she'll start talking at a hundred miles per hour about her and what so-and-so said, or her new money making scheme, etc. etc. etc. Hell, there have been times she's asked how I'm doing, and then interrupted me with "Oh, that reminds me, blah blah blah", never letting me continue for the rest of the conversation.

Have an interest in your child's life and well-being, even after their grown. If they have developed into a good person, they will have the same interest in your life as well.

In Closing

Finally, I recommend you watch the film adaptation of "To Kill A Mockingbird". Any time I imagine what my ideal father figure would have been like in my life, I imagine Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch.

I hope my insight has helped in any sort of way. A lot of people would consider a lot of my advice to be "common sense", but I rarely see it being implemented.