Twenty-five years later, what kind of father will you be? What is being a father all about, and how will you step into this role? These are the questions we posed to four young men in conjunction with Father's Day this Sunday. They reflected (some with melancholy) on how it would be to be a father, a quarter of a century down the road, and the answers are surprisingly sentimental... especially coming from the 'tougher' sex!

Akmal Rahim, 23, student
Gosh! I never thought I will ever have to think about it - in my forties, with my sons and daughters grown up and being successful? Imagining any child of mine in the year of 2030 or 2035 is a huge challenge!

When I was a kid, circa 1990s, things are much more organised, the world was less hostile and it was a simple life, and the word respect and honour is still there in every child. The challenge would be greater in the next 20 years even here in Malaysia, yet now in 2010, the world has no more boundaries and social networking sites have proven to be vital in shaping a child's attitude.

The future will be 'wild' because the age of information is here. Our children cannot digest all the information and a person that is called father needs to be with them and guide them which one is wrong and which one is right. Nevertheless, nothing is impossible. If the father has good morality, integrity and personality nothing can stop the love from a father to a child.

For me though, I only experienced the love of a father until I was eight years old. My parents got divorced when I was eight and everything was in chaos. So for me, the very definition of a 'Father Figure' is incredibly subjective.

The perfect father figure is one who motivates his child, disciplines him, loves him and the most important of all, supports his child no matter what he's pursuing. The perfect father figure could be a catalyst for the children to have have good moral values and motivation that will enable them to drive forward. Happiness is key in cultivating the child's growth thus the personality of a father has to be positive indeed especially in this modern era.

And a father should always be honest. We cannot have the 'military-dad' who uses the cane whenever something goes awry. That is why social engineering is important when a father wants to communicate with his kid - there is a possibility that the children inherit personality or behaviour from their father or mother themselves, and the father should know how to exploit these advantages for better communication. When a father sees the child rebelling, he should be a diplomat instead of being a dictator. A man needs patience, perseverance, unlimited love, passion, discipline, humour, intellect to be a father.

This is the father I hope to be in 25 years.

I've always regretted never having talked that much to my father because he is the silent type, and I only had eight years to know him. I did have a normal, happy, and simple childhood, nevertheless. I went to school, came back, met up with friends at the playground, came back on time for dinner and I read books at night. I did throw tantrums, for which I was caned, but that is pretty much it.

So, I hope to be able to sit down with my child someday, and tell him or her this: Follow your heart in whatever you are pursuing. Do it from your heart and be passionate. No matter how far you go, always respect yourself, the people around you and the elders and be yourself no matter what. The most important thing, never lie to yourself.

Paul Wong Kok Mun, 27, soon-to-be father
Twenty five years have passed - I'm overseas, my kids are healthy and happy, and although it is expensive to raise them, I always try to do my best to provide.

My life is full: My wife and children, my family, my career and a spankin' house in the country over rolling green hills. I make enough to get by and have little luxuries. I can afford to travel, and I can afford to give my children the best. I never mollycoddle, especially not my son; my own father was tough on me and I will be the same.

This is the scenario I see for myself in 25 years down the road. Will I ever achieve it? I will never know. But one thing is for sure: I'm going to do my best.

Because for me, fatherhood is about doing what's right. It is to complement the role of a mother, to provide the solid foundation to a mother's softer touch. As far as I know, the Good Cop Bad Cop method is the way to go (worked well for my parents)! A father should have all the qualities of a mother, minus the feminine part.

The landscape of the world, the paradigm shift; it may be different, but the principle would be the same: It would mean getting the same first car for my kid that my dad got me a few years back, a 20-year-old Volvo that was popular during his era, giving the same advise on education during the coming of age, talking about my years in college, allowing them to explore sex and sexuality through friends, but keeping an eye on their movement in and out of the house to prevent untowardly incidences, providing the basic needs them when they're ready to start their own family.

It would also mean I would be called old fashioned for only being able to play with the iPod touch and still using it while they embark on some newer flashier techno-gizmos when their time comes! Their lives will be filled with gadgets so advanced that the iPhone 4 would look like the old briefcase-sized handphones of the 90's.

So I can see myself sitting them down in the years to come, telling them all these things. But most of all, I will tell them this: Never be like your ol' Daddy over here, be better. Always be better.

Muhamad Shazni Muhamad Tamyezm, 22, student
I see him wave me goodbye and walk out the door - he's going for a movie with his girlfriend, and he's grinning from ear to ear. So fast, the years have passed!

I fancy myself a typical father, aware of what's happening to the world and how it's changed from my time. Yeah, that means what was 'cool' in my time is now practically pre-historic. But that's okay.

All I can do, is give my kids the freedom to make their own mistakes, but not to the extent that they get involved in drugs or alcohol abuse.

I've always viewed the perfect father as understanding, open-minded and unselfish; if there is such a thing as a perfect father, that is. But I hope despite my flaws I will continue to fulfill my responsibility as a father: Giving all the love and care I can to my wife and kids, and to realise that money will not make a happy family - hope, love, faith and kindness will.  

One day, I will tell my kids to do what they think is right, be it choice or instinct. I will tell them to follow their hearts and live with the choices they've made, for someday they too will be parents. Every regret or every joy is theirs.

James Robind Philipose, 21, student
Even though there is no such thing as a perfect father, my belief is that every father is perfect in his own way.

And perhaps this is why, 25 years down the road, I think I will be the best father I can be - not the 'perfect' father, but a father who is flawed but worthy. After all, some fathers are protective, some are not. Some are stubborn and some are easy-going. Raising a child is complex and there are no moulds or instruction manuals but what every father should do is to be around when the children need him, to be a leader and protector of the family, to provide the family, to love and to set a good example for the kids to follow.

I obviously can't be perfect all the time, nobody can. But actions count, not words, and I will do my best to care and love for my child beyond everything I've ever known.

I don't think I can imagine what the future is going to be like, much less imagine something as scary as what my child will be like - I am the kind of person who lives in the 'now' so whatever happens, happens - 25 years, come get me!

Because if I stick to my values, I think I will be doing just fine as a father!

Afiq Ikram, 22, student
Twenty five years from now, I see myself with a strong, irrevocable bond with my children. Malaysia may be a completely different place by then, but nothing will change that. I will do my best to be a father who is strong and firm, and able to make wise decisions; an honest, disciplined man who has a sense of humour and a firm grasp of religion.

This is because I myself have never had a father figure (my parents divorced when I was seven). He had left me out and it was hard to grow up without a father guiding me through. Hence, I want to be there for my children, no matter what. I want my children to have the bond I never had, to know that I will always be there.

I will tell them to always be themselves, to never be afraid to pursue what they believe in. I want them to make their own mistakes and learn from them.

But above all that, I will be there to give them the support.