This is the kind of father who doesn't try to control his children but actually gives his children free will, to go and make the mistakes they need to make to grow. Besides power, the other thing that Father's may use to control their children is knowledge and wisdom. One of the interesting things about Home Improvement is that Al provides Tim with knowledge, while Wilson provides him with wisdom. In our lives, there is a big difference between the knowledge that Al has and the wisdom of Wilson. Knowledge is gained when we acquire facts and skills.
Wisdom is concerned with ideas and insights.
Knowledge is concrete and specific while wisdom is abstract and can be applied to different situations. Part of the humor of the show is that Tim has a pathetic lack of both qualities but claims to have them. A good father must have knowledge and the wisdom to apply that knowledge correctly. Like Tim does on the show, a good father should be able to do three things, to listen, to learn and to love. First of all, a good father must be able to listen to his family and others and thus acquire knowledge.