Obama Talks Family And Fatherhood With Men's Health

Obama will appear on the cover of the Men's Health November issue, which hits newsstands October 21st. In the interview he opened up about fatherhood, the sacrifices he's had to make, and how he's kept his kids normal. Read some excerpts below.

**See "The Obamas' Greatest Family Moments" slideshow.**

On Being a Father and Presidential Candidate:

"The pledge is, they'll get their dog, win or lose."

"Their main concern was, 'When are we going to get a dog?' They did ask about what they called 'secret people,' which were the Secret Service folks. 'Are we going to have to have these people with sunglasses and earpieces following us around all the time?' And I told them, well, not right away. They've adjusted wonderfully. And I've tried to make sure that they haven't had to participate too much in the political process."

"What I've been able to do is create a zone of normalcy for my kids. I have been able to transmit to them my absolute interest in them and my absolute love for them."

"I don't miss the important things. I haven't missed a dance recital. I haven't missed a parent-teacher conference. But there are some things I do miss, and those are some of the tradeoffs you make."

"But, look, there's no question there are sacrifices involved here. I'd like to say that quality time replaces quantity, but sometimes it doesn't. You know, a lot of the best moments of family life happen spontaneously. If you have less time to devote to them, there are fewer of those moments."

What Being A Father Means To Him:

"I would like to think that most of the issues related to my father have been resolved." "That's part of what writing Dreams from My Father was about: understanding him, his own personal tragedy. He wasn't a presence in my life, he was an idea that I had to wrestle with for a long time."

"Somebody once said that every man is either trying to live up to his dad's expectations or make up for his dad's mistakes. And I'm sure I was doing a little bit of both. But I feel that somewhere in my late 20s or early 30s I sort of figured out what his absence had meant. It is part of what I think has made me a pretty good dad. I don't think it would have too much of an impact on my decision-making as president. There's no doubt that it has contributed to my drive. I might not be here had it not been for that absent father prodding me early in life."

Comments

[sowhatdemos]

What a cool picture! It will be great to have this wonderful, loving family in the White House. Just seeing them all together warms your heart, the kids are so happy and well adjusted. This family and their new little dog will give America a new, positive attitude. God bless them!

[jagoneely]

That picture: I see my girls and my husband there. He certainly seems like gentleman, a good father, and a good husband. Those things matter with character. I see Palin attacking Obama's character, patriotism. Is there truly ANYONE left in this country who she is convincing who isn't already convinced? Preaching to the Hate & Paranoia choir. I hope we get a chance to see what he can do for this country and the world. His work is cut out for him.

[brooklyncitizen]

The Obamas are influencing this country in a positive way and equally important is the power of his personal life, his wife and children and their loving dynamic as a family. It simply inspires trust. I don't frankly know what his campaign will be able to deliver on but I do think given this moment in time there is no one else who deserves our trust to lead us on the difficult road ahead.

[thepoliticalcat]

I have to say Senator Obama appears to be a wonderful father, husband, and family man. His genuine love and affection for his wife and children is transformative. You can't see him with wife and/or kids without experiencing a powerful and positive emotion. We all, I'm sure, wish our fathers or spouses would look at us the way the Senator looks at his family.

[uvymopkq]

The Obama camp has dropped to a new low. The Associated Press about an hour ago: "Two Missourians say they were surprised to receive credit card statements indicating they had donated to Barack Obama's presidential campaign. Sandy Pogones of Camdenton and Steve Larman of North Kansas City each found a $2,300 charge on their credit card--" They both contacted the credit card companies which dropped the charges. Sandy Pogones said she's contacted the Missouri attorney general's office and the FBI. Steve Larman of North Kansas City says he just wants to know if another organization is funneling money to Obama or if somebody's using Obama's name to steal from people.

[thepoliticalcat]

Please explain exactly what "the Obama camp" has to do with these incidents.

[brooklyncitizen]

????Confusing post.

[rmetz74]

And you really think the campaign was behind this? Nevermind that they've received more donations than any campaign in history and are on track to win, so they don't NEED to steal from anyone, especially knowing how stupid it would be so close to the election.

Isn't it WAY more likely that someone else is falsely using Obama's name to commit fraud?

Good grief. Use your brain.

[jagoneely]

Someone could steal in my name too, it's called credit card fraud. I wouldn't blame Sears if someone used my card to buy a lawnmower there. Get Real.

So they've sunk to a new low, what was the old low? Being a pretty, happy family?

[blissiseasy123]

The McCain camp is sweating bullets.

X-P0LYGAMIST WIFE