Father involvement is an important plank in the social and cognitive development of a child, and this is best facilitated by a common residence. Yet little is known about the interaction of Jamaican fathers with their young children who do not reside with them. This article, based on a survey of 252 urban fathers, shows that despite expressing a strong ideological commitment to fatherhood, almost half of the sample did not interact with these children on a weekly basis through reasoning, and encouragement with schoolwork.