Posted by Ashley Slayton for BET You(th) Vote 

Barack Obama opened up to PARADE magazine this week, when the mag published an open letter from the president-elect to his daughters Sasha, 7, and Malia, 10. (Click here to read the whole letter.)

In the letter Obama acknowledges that he’s been a bit of an absentee dad over the last two years and that he knows the future famous first puppy won’t make up for all the time they’ve spent apart.

But Obama says he has his reasons for embarking the family on this journey. The family man says he wants better schools, the chance for children to attend college no matter what their financial situation, and for all children to get good jobs with benefits that allow them to “retire with dignity.” It’s his vision for American and his own children’s future. Don’t you wish your dad was this cool?
 Hands down, my favorite line of the letter is when he says: “I soon found that the greatest joy in my life was the joy I saw in yours.” How sweet is that?! Obama is going to be a great first father!

What do you think of Obama’s letter to his daughters? How will life in the public eye affect the Obama family? How will having a black family in the White House affect African American society? You tell me.

-Ashley

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