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Saturday, June 18, 2011

Obama: Being a dad is sometimes my hardest job - NorthJersey.com

Obama: Being a dad is sometimes my hardest job - NorthJersey.com

Obama: Being a dad is sometimes my hardest job

SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 2011
ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — President Obama says being a dad is sometimes his hardest job, but also the most rewarding.

President Obama with daughters Malia, left, Sasha, first lady Michelle Obama, right, and her mother Marian Robinson visit Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
President Obama with daughters Malia, left, Sasha, first lady Michelle Obama, right, and her mother Marian Robinson visit Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Just ahead of Father's Day, the president devoted his Saturday radio and Internet address to fatherhood. He talked about growing up without a dad, 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 said his administration is trying to help during tough economic times and long deployments for U.S. troops.

The president spoke of helping 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."

Obama, who was raised largely by his grandparents in Hawaii after his father left when Obama was very