Hi, everybody. This Sunday is Father’s Day, and so I wanted to take a moment to talk about the most
important job many of us will ever have – and that’s being a
dad.
大家好. 本周日即将是父亲节, 我想借此机会谈谈我们大家终将面临的最最重要的工作: 做一个父亲.
Today we’re blessed to live in a world where technology allows us to connect
instantly with just about anyone on the planet. But no matter how advanced we
get, there will never be a substitute for the love and support and, most
importantly, the presence of a parent in a child’s life. And in many ways, that’s uniquely true for fathers.
今天我们很有幸生活在一个能瞬间可和地球上的任何一个人联系的科技时代. 但无论科技如何发达, 都没有任何东西可以取代一个家长在孩子生活中的出现, 爱和支持. 在许多方面, 对父亲而言尤为如此.
I never really knew my own father. I was
raised by a single mom and two wonderful grandparents who made incredible
sacrifices for me. And there are single parents all across the country who do a
heroic job raising terrific kids. But I still wish I had a dad who was not only
around, but involved; another role model to teach me what my mom did her best
to instill – values like hard work and integrity;
responsibility and delayed gratification – all the things that give a child the foundation to envision a
brighter future for themselves.
我从来不真正地了解我自己的父亲. 我是由单亲妈妈和两个和蔼的祖父母带大, 他们为我做了不可想象的牺牲. 全国有很多的单亲父母做着同样伟大的带大孩子的工作. 但我仍然希望我能有一个父亲不仅在我周围, 而且参与我的生活; 作为另一个榜样来告诉我我的母亲尽了她全力所给了我的那些价值, 如努力工作, 品行端正, 责任, 不贪图享乐, 所有这些价值都给一个孩子去设想自己的美好未来的基础.
That’s why I try every day to be for Michelle and my girls what my father
was not for my mother and me. And I’ve met
plenty of other people – dads and uncles and
men without a family connection – who are
trying to break the cycle and give more of our young people a strong male role
model.
因此我努力每天都和太太和两个女儿在一起, 这是我的父亲所没有做到的. 我也见过许多其他人, 父亲, 叔叔, 或没有家庭联系的男人, 他们都在试图去打破常规并给我们的年青人一个强大的男人的榜样.
Being a good parent isn’t easy. It demands your constant attention, frequent sacrifice, and
a healthy dose of patience. And nobody’s
perfect. To this day, I’m still figuring out
how to be a better husband to my wife and father to my kids.
要做一个好的父母是不容易的. 它要求你不停的注意力, 时常的牺牲, 和健康的耐心. 然而, 没有人是完美的. 直到今天, 我仍在找寻如何才能做一个更好的丈夫和父亲的途径.
And I want to do what I can as President
to encourage marriage and strong families. We should reform our child support
laws to get more men working and engaged with their children. And my
Administration will continue to work with the faith and other community
organizations, as well as businesses, on a campaign to encourage strong
parenting and fatherhood.
作为一个总统, 我想尽我所能去鼓励婚姻和强大的家庭. 我们应该改变我们的孩子抚养的法律以让更多的男人工作并介入到孩子的生活中. 我的领导班子也将继续与宗教, 各社团, 商业联合去发动强大的如何抚育孩子和为人之父的活动.
Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned along the
way, it’s that all our personal successes shine a
little less brightly if we fail at family. That’s what matters most. When I look back on my life, I won’t be thinking about any particular legislation I passed or policy I
promoted. I’ll be thinking about Michelle, and the
journey we’ve been on together. I’ll be thinking about Sasha’s dance
recitals and Malia’s tennis matches – about the conversations we’ve had and
the quiet moments we’ve shared. I’ll be thinking about whether I did right by them, and whether they
knew, every day, just how much they were loved.
假如一路走来我学到了一件事的话, 那就是如果我们的家庭失败, 我们的成就将黯然无光. 家庭是最重要的. 当我回首自己的生活, 我不会去想我所通过或推举的任何一项立法, 但我会想我的太太和我们共同行走的路程.
我会去想Sasha的舞蹈彩排和Malia的网球比赛, 以及我们之间的谈话和共享的安静时光. 我会想我是否对他们所做是正确的, 他们是否每天都知道我是多么的爱他们.
That’s what I think being a father is all about. And if we can do our
best to be a source of comfort and encouragement to our kids; if we can show
them unconditional love and help them grow into the people they were meant to
be; then we will have succeeded.
这就是我想的应该如何为人父. 假如我们能尽全力为孩子们提供舒适和勇气, 假如我们能向他们展示无条件的爱并帮助他们成为他们想成为的人, 那我们就成功了.
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there, and have a great weekend.
祝福每一个父亲父亲节快乐, 并过一个美好的周末.
