Guest Dad Joe Burris takes on the eternal controversy over who has more influence on our kids -- parents or peers:

Recently, my two daughters and I took part in a daddy-daughter event in Washington, D.C., that was centered on the upcoming Disney movie, “The Princess and the Frog.” More than 500 people were present, and there were all types of festivities to make our daughters feel like princesses.

But what I remember most was that the event’s organizers had the fathers stand before our daughters and read a pledge to them. We vowed to keep them safe and secure, to be good listeners, to admit our mistakes and to help them grow as women capable of facing and tackling the challenges of life.

As we stood for the pledge, I quickly looked around the room at the hopeful eyes of scores of little girls, staring up at their fathers. When my 3-year-old daughter Onalenna decided to take time out from the moment to play on the floor, her 12-year-old sister Nyaniso made her stand up.

“Listen to what Daddy’s saying to us,” she said.

I thought about that moment this week when I came across a Time magazine interview entitled “Why Parents (Still) Don’t Matter.”

The interview centered on the 10th anniversary of the book, “The Nurture Assumption” by psychologist Judith Harris, who argued then, and now, that parents don’t have any long term affects on their children. She argued that the influence of peers has a much greater impact on kids than anything their parents can say or do.

Keep in mind, this year is also the 30th anniversary of a Time essay called “Wondering If Children Are Necessary.”

Giving both Harris and Time the benefit of the doubt, I fully believe that peer influence has a resounding effect on the type of adults our children grow up to be. I believe that at some stages of their lives (particularly adolescence), peers are arguably the greatest influence. And certainly, parents who fail to take an active role in their children’s lives won’t come close to having as strong an impact.

Yet I wonder: Did people who made such claims grow up as a homeless orphans? No parents, no surrogates who guided and nurtured as parents? No one who ever cared and sacrificed and taught right from wrong -- even when the lessons appeared to fall on deaf ears? No stable, nurturing home environment that helped foster a sense of security and made gaining a solid education (the kind that enables one to become a psychologist) possible?

I suppose that when these folks were unruly teens, and they got picked up by the cops, they called their BFFs to bail them out.

And I guess if I am looking for empirical evidence as to whether parents matter or children necessary, I’m probably spending too much time in thought -- and not enough time with my kids.