US President Barack
Obama says he’s a “good, fun dad” who at
times might cause his two teenage daughters
to cringe.
In an interview aired Thursday, America’s first
father also joked that he sought a second
term so the Secret Service could keep a close
eye on 13-year-old Sasha and 15-year-old
Malia.
“I think they would say that I am a good, fun
dad who teeters on the edge of being
embarrassing sometimes,” Obama told NBC’s
Today show when asked how his girls would
describe him.
Obama commented ahead of Father’s Day –
Sunday here in the United States – in an
exclusive with Jenna Bush Hager, daughter of
Obama’s Republican predecessor in the White
House, George W. Bush who also grew up in
the glare of the public eye.
Obama said he and First Lady Michelle are
“really proud” of their daughters, adding they
don’t have to check on their homework or “nag
them too much about stuff.”
“They’ve got their acts together,” he said.
As for their budding social lives? The president
says he doesn’t worry too much about that.
“They’ve got their heads on straight. They’re
strong, confident young ladies.”
Still, the Secret Service detail shadowing the
two sisters likely means a better night’s sleep
for the commander-in-chief.
“Well as you know, from experience, shaped
under this a little bit, they do have a secret
service detail,” he told Hager Bush.
“Which I joke, the main reason I ran for re-
election was to sustain that all the way through
their high school years.”
In other comments, Obama – who grew up
without a father – said he promised himself
early on he would be a present dad once he
had a family of his own.
“I made a decision in young adulthood that it
was going to be important for me to make sure
that I was there for my kids,” said Obama,
known for making a point of regularly having
dinner with his family and attending school
sports games.
“The one thing the girls know about me is I
love them to death.”
