WASHINGTON, DC — President Obama set aside most of the day Friday to talk about the responsibilities of fatherhood. He spoke at “Year Up,” a non-profit organization that trains young people for college or professional work.
At the White House, the president welcomed a panel of fathers to a town hall meeting. He said he hopes more fathers will spend time with their children and implored young men to be present for their own children.
“If we want our children to succeed in life, we need fathers to step up,” Obama said. “We need fathers to understand that their work doesn’t end with conception. What truly makes a man a father is the ability to raise a child and investing in that child. We need fathers to be involved in their kids’ lives not just when it’s easy, not just during the afternoons in the park or the zoo, when it’s all fun and games. But when it’s hard, when young people are struggling.”
He added, “If there’s one last thing I want to communicate to those fathers who maybe haven’t been involved in their child’s life, it’s to emphasize that this is not an obligation, it’s a privilege to be a father.”
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