Obama takes time out, talks about fatherhood

WASHINGTON – Ahead of Father's Day, President Barack Obama took time out from heavy rhetorics and devoted his regular Saturday radio and Internet adress to a universally domestic concern - fatherhood.

But for Obama, fatherhood is not simple or trivial calling it being sometimes his hardest job - but the most rewarding.

Obama was raised largely by his grandparents in Hawaii after his father left when he was very young. This personal circumstance was the backdrop as he talked of the need of kids for quality time, structure and unconditional love from their parents.

"I felt his absence. And I wonder what my life would have been like had he been a greater presence," the president said.

"That's why I've tried so hard to be a good dad for my own children. I haven't always succeeded, of course — in the past, my job has kept me away from home more often than I liked, and the burden of raising two young girls would sometimes fall too heavily on Michelle."

He also talked of his own failings as a father and the values he hopes to teach his daughters Malia, 12, and Sasha, 10. He described the responsibilities that all fathers have to their children and he related this to tough economic times, separations caused by long deployment of US troops and his administration's efforts to help.

The president also revealed that he helps to coach Sasha's basketball team. "In the end, that's what being a parent is all about — those precious moments with our children that fill us with pride and excitement for their future; the chances we have to set an example or offer a piece of advice; the opportunities to just be there and show them that we love them," he said.

The president said he's learned that what children need most is their parents' time and a structure that instills self-discipline and responsibility, noting that even in the White House Malia and Sasha do their chores and walk the dog.

"And above all, children need our unconditional love," the president said, "whether they succeed or make mistakes; when life is easy and when life is tough." (from philstar.com)