While the headlines of today's daddy doings feature the news fathers who spend more time with their young children make their children smarter. The researchers have a bit more work to do in explainng how.

A British study found that a dad's active involvement early on positively influenced kids at least into their 42nd year, but all that was measured was time. And while time might be important, there is certainly more ways for a dad to influence his child, as Sean May fears. May follows in the crutch-steps of his dad, another basketball player who starred in college and limped through a pro career.

And is it positive or negative when a father influences his child to go into politics. Consider the cases of Michigan State Rep. Coleman Young II — who has announced his interest in capturing his father's old position as Detroit Mayor — and Taylor Gallyon — who is running for sixth grade president having taken in the political lessons of campaigning with her dad, Chuck, as he ran for county posts.

Intriguingly, Young was an out of wedlock baby of his father whose mum had to sue to get his father to claim him. On the other hand, Gallyon has been spending time working on her dad's campaigns since she was 7. It will be interesting to see researchers parse their lives to find ut how spending more or less time with their dads incurred a positive influence on kids when politics is the present and probably future.