家庭幸福是一切幸福的本源

翻译By Long Luo

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。本周日是父亲节，所以我想花点时间谈谈我们很多人一生最重要的一项工作——做一名父亲。

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.

如今，我们有幸生活在一个科技随时都能与全球任何人保持联系的世界里。然而，无论科技多么先进，都永远无法代替关爱和支持，特别是无法代替父母陪伴对于孩子生活的意义。就很多方面而言，对于身为人父者尤其如此。

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.

我对生身父亲知之甚少，而是由寡母和外祖父母抚养成人，她们为此做出了巨大的牺牲。全国各地也有许多这样的单身父母，他们勇敢面对，养育儿女。然而，我还是情愿父亲在我身边，并参与我的成长。（我希望他）能成为另一个角色，教会我许多（后来不得已）由母亲尽力传授的价值观念。比如，勤奋、正直、责任感和不急于享乐等等，这一切都为他的孩子赢得一个灿烂的未来奠定了基础。

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.

这就是为什么我每天都会为米歇尔和女儿们做点事情，这正是先父没来得及为他的妻儿所做的。我也碰到过许多父亲、叔伯和其他没有完整家庭的男人，他们正努力打破这种怪圈，为年轻人树立一个男子汉的榜样。

Being a good parent – whether you’re gay or straight; a foster parent or a grandparent – 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.

不管你是同性恋、异性恋，是养父母还是祖父母，做个好父母都不容易。要持续用心，不断付出，并且有一种健康的心态。没有人能十全十美，时至今日，我还在努力做个妻子的好丈夫和女儿们的好父亲。

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.

同时，作为国家总统，我尽量鼓励婚姻和强有力的家庭维系。我们应该改革儿童抚养法律，让更多人有工作，并参与亲子互动。政府也将秉承这种信念，与社区组织、企业一道，踏上一次倡导可靠教养和父爱的征程。

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.

因为一路走来我明白了一件事：如果家庭失败，即使个人事业再成功都将美中不足。（经营家庭）这事最重要。当我回顾人生，我不会去想（当总统时）通过了哪个特别法规、推动实施了哪项政策，我会想到和米歇尔一起走过的人生历程。我会想到萨拉的舞蹈演出和玛丽亚的网球比赛，想到我们的对话和共同拥有的静谧时光。我会想我做得对不对，我会想她们是否明白，每天我是多么疼爱她们。

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.

这就是我觉得一位为人父者所要关心的。如果我们竭尽所能去宽慰和鼓励孩子，给予他们无条件的爱并帮助他们做成自己想做的人，那么我们就成功了。

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there, and have a great weekend.

祝父亲们节日快乐，周末愉快！