Hi, everybody. This Father’s Day weekend, I’d like to spend a couple minutes talking about what’s sometimes my hardest, but always my most rewarding job ? being a dad.
各位好！在此父親節(jié)的周末，我愿花幾分鐘談?wù)勎矣袝r(shí)候最難，但永遠(yuǎn)是最值的一項(xiàng)工作??當(dāng)父親。
I grew up without my father around. He left when I was two years old, and even though my sister and I were lucky enough to have a wonderful mother and caring grandparents to raise us, I felt his absence. And I wonder what my life would have been like had he been a greater presence.
That’s why I’ve tried so hard to be a good dad for my own children. I haven’t always succeeded, of course ? in the past, my job has kept me away from home more often than I liked, and the burden of raising two young girls would sometimes fall too heavily on Michelle.
這就是為什么我下這么大力氣做我的孩子們的好父親。我并不總是成功，當(dāng)然指在過去，我的工作經(jīng)常讓我不情愿地離開家庭，撫養(yǎng)兩個(gè)女兒的擔(dān)子有時(shí)候過多地落在了米切爾的肩上。
But between my own experiences growing up, and my ongoing efforts to be the best father I can be, I’ve learned a few things about what our children need most from their parents.
但在我的成長經(jīng)歷和盡我最大可能做一個(gè)好父親的努力之間，我知道了很多最需要父母的什么。
First, they need our time. And more important than the quantity of hours we spend with them is the quality of those hours. Maybe it’s just asking about their day, or talking a walk together, but the smallest moments can have the biggest impact.
首先，他們需要我們的時(shí)間。比與他們共度的時(shí)間數(shù)量更重要的是與他們共度的時(shí)間的質(zhì)量。也許只是問一下他們一天都做了些什么，或一起散散步，但最短的瞬間可能產(chǎn)生最大的影響。
They also need structure, including learning the values of self-discipline and responsibility. Malia and Sasha may live in the White House these days, but Michelle and I still make sure they finish their schoolwork, do their chores, and walk the dog.
他們需要價(jià)值體系，包括學(xué)習(xí)自律和責(zé)任的價(jià)值觀�，斃騼汉退_莎這些天要在白宮生活，但米切爾和我仍堅(jiān)持她們繼續(xù)上學(xué)，做手工勞動(dòng)，溜狗。
And above all, children need our unconditional love ? whether they succeed or make mistakes; when life is easy and when life is tough.
最重要的是，孩子們需要我們無條件的愛??不管他們成功還是犯錯(cuò)；生活安逸還是艱難。
And life is tough for a lot of Americans today. More and more kids grow up without a father figure. Others miss a father who’s away serving his country in uniform. And even for those dads who are present in their children’s lives, the recession has taken a harsh toll. If you’re out of a job or struggling to pay the bills, doing whatever it takes to keep the kids healthy, happy and safe can understandably take precedence over all else.
對(duì)很多美國人來說今天的生活艱難了。越來越多的孩子們在沒有父親的家庭中長大。還有一些孩子們因?yàn)楦赣H在軍隊(duì)服役而見不到父親。即使那些父親們可以和他們的孩子們生活在一起，經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退又盤剝了他們。如果你失去了工作或?yàn)樯钪С龆�，做讓孩子們健康、幸福和安全所必須做的一切顯然比其它所有事情都重要。
That’s why my administration has offered men who want to be good fathers a little extra support. We’ve boosted community and faith-based groups focused on fatherhood, partnered with businesses to offer opportunities for fathers to spend time with their kids at the bowling alley or ballpark, and worked with military chaplains to help deployed dads connect with their children.
這就是為什么我的政府為想當(dāng)好父親的男人們提供一些額外的支持。我們支持社區(qū)和出于信仰的團(tuán)體關(guān)愛父親，與企業(yè)合作為父親們提供機(jī)會(huì)，讓他們有時(shí)間陪孩子們到保齡球館或球場去玩，與隨軍教士合作幫助服役的父親們與他們的孩子溝通。
We’re doing this because we all have a stake in forging stronger bonds between fathers and their children. And you can find out more about some of what we’re doing at Fatherhood.gov.
我們正在做這些事因?yàn)槲覀兌寂c建立更加緊密的父子關(guān)系息息相關(guān)。你可以在Fatherhood.gov網(wǎng)站找到更多關(guān)于我們的一些行動(dòng)的信息。
But we also know that every father has a personal responsibility to do right by our kids as well. All of us can encourage our children to turn off the video games and pick up a book. All of us can pack a healthy lunch for our son, or go outside and play ball with our daughter. And all of us can teach our children the difference between right and wrong, and show them through our own example the value in treating one another as we wish to be treated.
但我們也知道每個(gè)父親都有責(zé)任讓孩子也做正確的事。我們所有人都應(yīng)該鼓勵(lì)孩子關(guān)掉視頻游戲捧起書本。我們每個(gè)人都可以為孩子準(zhǔn)備一頓健康午餐，或到戶外陪我們的女兒打球。我們都可以教我們的孩子明辨是非，并且以身作則，推己及人地教他們待人接物的準(zhǔn)則。
Our kids are pretty smart. They understand that life won’t always be perfect, that sometimes, the road gets rough, that even great parents don’t get everything right.
我們的孩子們非常聰明。他們知道認(rèn)識(shí)不會(huì)一帆風(fēng)順，有時(shí)道路會(huì)崎嶇不平，偉大的父母也難免犯錯(cuò)。
But more than anything, they just want us to be a part of their lives.
So recently, I took on a second job: assistant coach for Sasha’s basketball team. On Sundays, we’d get the team together to practice, and a couple of times, I’d help coach the games. It was a lot of fun ? even if Sasha rolled her eyes when her dad voiced his displeasure with the refs.
但是最重要的是，他們希望我們成為他們生活的一部分。
所有最近，我又接手了另一份工作，薩莎的籃球隊(duì)助理教練。星期天，我們集合隊(duì)伍訓(xùn)練，還有幾此，我協(xié)助執(zhí)教幾場比賽。此樂何及??即使在薩莎眼睛滴溜溜轉(zhuǎn)著看他爹與裁判們爭吵也如此。
But I was so proud watching her run up and down the court, seeing her learn and improve and gain confidence. And I was hopeful that in the years to come, she’d look back on experiences like these as the ones that helped define her as a person ? and as a parent herself.
但我看到她在場上跳起落下、看她學(xué)習(xí)改進(jìn)、獲得信心時(shí)倍感驕傲。我希望在未來的日子里，她回首這樣的經(jīng)歷時(shí)，認(rèn)為這些幫助她成為一個(gè)人，一個(gè)母親。
In the end, that’s what being a parent is all about ? those precious moments with our children that fill us with pride and excitement for their future; the chances we have to set an example or offer a piece of advice; the opportunities to just be there and show them that we love them.
最后，作為父母的全部就是，讓我們充滿驕傲和為他們的前途振奮的與他們共度的寶貴時(shí)光；親近他們，讓他們知道我們愛他們的機(jī)會(huì)。
That’s something worth remembering this Father’s Day, and every day.
Thanks, and Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. Have a great weekend.
這就是紀(jì)念父親節(jié)的意義所在，愿每天都是父親節(jié)。
多謝！祝所有不在場的父親們節(jié)日快樂！周末愉快！