How the Presidency Made Me a Better Father
Barack Obama
When you are the president of the United States, you’re surrounded at all times—by aides, by press, by Secret Service, by crowds. It’s a bubble that’s hard to escape.
People often ask me whether being president has made it more difficult to spend time with Michelle and our girls. But the surprising truth is that being in the White House has made our family life more “normal” than it’s ever been.
When Malia was born, Michelle and I were fortunate enough to spend a blissful three months mostly at home with our baby girl. But then Michelle went back to work part time, and I returned to my schedule of teaching at the University of Chicago law school and serving in the state legislature. This meant that I would often be away in Springfield for three days at a time. Even when I was home in Chicago, I had papers to grade and briefs to write and evening meetings to attend.
The combined pressures sometimes put a real strain on our marriage, as they do for many working parents with young kids. After Sasha was born, Michelle was working while juggling our home life.
Things didn’t get any easier when I was elected the Senate and had to commute back and forth to Washington every week. Then our lives were thrown completely out of balance during a presidential campaign that kept me on the road almost constantly—leaving Michelle to carry an even heavier load for longer streches of time.
That’s why I called her the rock of our family—because she is. She always has been.
Still, we didn’t know what to expect when I became President. We knew I might have even less time for our family. We knew that uprooting Malia and Sasha from their friends and school and community in Chicago would be chellenging.
But to our surprise, moving to White House was really the first time since the girls were born that we’ve been able to gather together as a family almost every night. Michelle and I could go to parents-teacher conferences together. I’ve been to make Malia’s tennis matches and Sasha dance recitals. Sasha let me help coach her basketball team—the Vipers. They won the title. I’ve even experienced what all dads dread: watching my daughter go to her first prom. In high heels.
So it’s not always easy being a father of teenage girls. But it is pretty good to live above the store.
Even with our jam—packed days, Michelle and I work hard to carve out certain blocks of family time that are sacrosanct. For example, at 6:30 p.m., no matter how busy I am, I leave work to go upstairs and have dinner with my family. That’s inviolable.
So for an hour or so at dinner, my focus is not on my day, but on theirs. I ask Sasha and Malia the usual annoying parental questions: How was school? What are your friends up to? Have you done your homework? What are you think about? In return, they spend a lot of time teasing me about my big ears or stodgy suits—and Michelle is always happy to join them.
Michelle does her best to preserve that time, and it has made a huge difference. Like I said, she’s our rock. Whatever comes up, I know that they’ll be there for me. And I will always be there for them. These days, the girls occasionally miss a night because they are so busy with school and activities. And like many parents of high school juniors who are excitedly touring college campuses, I’m already dreading that empty seat at the table when Malia goes off to school next fall. I can feel myself lingering at the table a little longer, trying to stave off the passage of time. But for as long as possible, I’m going to enjoy every minute of finally having us all together under one roof.
（转自《参考消息》2015年7月8日刊）
