Watch Obama's weekly address on Fathers here, watch him talk about Malia's birth and being a father here and read his essay on fatherhood for People magazine here. A bit of that essay:
Malia and Sasha may live in the White House, but Michelle and I still make sure they do their chores, make their beds, finish their schoolwork and take care of the dog. And above all I've learned that children need our unconditional love-when they succeed and when they make mistakes; when life is easy and life is hard.
Without a doubt, it is easier to raise children in this kind of caring, attentive atmosphere when both parents are present. Of course, there are plenty of single parents who do a heroic job of raising their kids. I know this because I was fortunate enough to have one-a mother who never allowed my father's absence to be an excuse for slacking off or not doing my best. But more and more kids are growing up today without their dads. And those young folks are more likely to struggle in school, try drugs, get into trouble and even wind up in jail.