In honor of Father’s Day, this week President Obama addressed the importance of being a good dad in his weekly radio internet address. Citing the absence of his own father growing up, Obama says he has always been and will continue to be the best father he can be.
“For Michelle and our girls, I try every day to be the husband and father my family didn’t have when I was young,” he said.
Obama went on to insist that fatherhood begins with courage.
“Every chance I get, I encourage fathers to get more involved in their children’s lives, because what makes you a man isn’t the ability to have a child, it’s the courage to raise one.
After encouraging more men to get involved in the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative, the president went on to add, “No government program can ever take the place of a parent’s love.”
Watch the entire address here.
Happy Father’s Day to all of the courageous dads in the world. Love, ESSENCE.