Fathers who are on the road a lot have to work extra hard to maintain good relations with their children, say actor-singer Kris Kristofferson and ball player Willie Randolph, two of eight men honored Wednesday by the National Father's Day Committee. Kristofferson, who has six children by three wives and three adopted Salvadoran orphans, said he felt ``totally unqualified'' to be named one of the 1988 fathers of the year. ``I had the good taste to select mothers who would raise them,'' he said, ``all I've done is love them.'' Apparently love was enough, because all nine children now live with him and his current wife, Lisa, at their Malibu, Calif., home. ``It's a great pleasure for me that all of them have come back and are living with me, even the 26-year-old,'' Kristofferson said. Randolph, the New York Yankee second baseman who spends half the baseball season on the road, says he has to work at keeping communication lines open with his four children. ``We have conferences,'' Randolph said. ``We dim the lights and just talk. You'd be amazed at the off-the-wall stuff. They can say whatever they want.'' He started the family rap sessions about four years ago to try to bring the family together. Now, if they go more than a week without a chat, one of the kids will say, ``It's time for a conference, Dad,'' Randolph said. Another honoree, NBC White House correspondent Chris Wallace, who also travels often as part of his job, said the notion of quality time is a myth. ``It's also a matter of quantity time; you gotta be with them,'' Wallace said. Other fathers honored were FBI Director William Sessions, Fox Television sportscaster Bill Mazer, Tennis Hall of Famer Arthur Ashe, hero cop Steven McDonald, and broadcast personality Larry King. In 1971, Congress resolved that Father's Day would be observed on the third Sunday in June, which this year falls on the 19th.
