P. Diddy not a good example of Daddy

Did you see what "music mogul" Sean Combs — aka P. Diddy, aka Puff Daddy, aka Puffy, aka Sean John, aka Whatever — gave to his teenager earlier this year for his 16th birthday?

With MTV cameras rolling, Combs presented his son, Justin, with a Maybach automobile. Price tag: $360,000.

There are all sorts of things wrong with a father giving his son a Maybach, of course.

What if the kid wanted a Bentley?

You can decide if you think it's appropriate to give a 16-year-old a car that costs twice as much as an average home in the United States, but doesn't it just sound like a bad idea?

In a formal interview, journalist Martin Bashir asked Combs if he thought the gift provided a "sensible lesson." Combs' response: "It wasn't even about a lesson. It's what I wanted to do. I can do whatever I want to do with my children."

He's right, but he's wrong. He can do what he wants with his children, within reason, but he is clueless about fatherhood, and he did teach his son a lesson whether he wanted to or not.

It comes with the territory.

"I don't have to explain to you or anybody else because nobody knows the way I raise my children," he told Bashir.

Actually, he has given us a glimpse of how he raises children. He has reportedly fathered six children by different women. Justin is, according to one report, "his love child from a fling" with a clothing designer. Asked what kind of example this set, he replied, "All of my kids are taken care of. They all go to the best schools."

But, as Bashir noted, he doesn't live with them.

Even the dopey Combs conceded that his children "deserved more personal time" from him.

Presumably, he is too busy being Puff Daddy, or whatever he calls himself these days, and running Bad Boy Entertainment and building his "entertainment empire."

Look, let's not mistake what Combs does as a father for fatherhood. He'll get Father's Day cards from his kids on Sunday, but let's hope nobody thinks he fills the role.

Being your kid's homie is not the same as being his Daddy.

There is a big difference between being a Diddy and a Daddy.

Writing a check for $360,000 is, in most ways, much easier and simpler than being a good father.