Scout and Jem think very highly of Atticus as a father. They admire his intelligence, his sense of justice, and his courage. They appreciate how he treats them with respect and honesty, and how he always encourages them to think for themselves. His main strength is his ability to lead by example and to teach his children important lessons about life. His main shortcoming is that he can be overly idealistic and sometimes struggles to connect with people who don't share his worldview.