每周电视讲话:庆祝父亲节
WASHINGTON – In his weekly address, President Obama reflected on Father’s Day and his experience as a parent and discussed the challenges and necessity of being a good father. The President knows that many Americans who want to be better fathers lack the resources to spend quality time with their children, so the White House has fostered new partnerships with businesses in an effort to support bonding opportunities for fathers and their families. While the President recognizes that fatherhood is demanding and often trying, especially during a time of economic struggle and when many Americans are serving our country overseas, he reminds parents that above all, children need unconditional love, whether they succeed or make mistakes; when life is easy and when life is tough. So as President Obama continuously strives to be the best father he can be, he calls on fathers across the country to do the same.
华盛顿:在本周的讲话中,奥巴马总统在父亲节这天反思了他身为人父的经历，同时也讨论了做一个好父亲面对的挑战和应做的事情。总统先生知道对许多想做个好父亲的美国人来说，他们缺少必要的资源和有效的时间与孩子们一起度过，因此，白宫与企业一起培育了一种新的合作关系，致力于为父亲和家庭建立亲密的关系提供支持。总统先生认为作为父亲要面对各种要求，不断尝试，尤其是在经济困难时期，还有很多美国人在海外服役，他也提醒这些父母们，孩子们需要绝对的爱，无论他们取得成功或是犯了错误，无论生活是舒适还是艰难。奥巴马总统称他将为了成为最好的父亲而不断努力，同时他也号召全国所有的父亲都一起努力。
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.
大家好！这个周末是父亲节，我想花点时间与大家交流下我最难做好，却是我觉得最有价值的事情——当爸爸。
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.
我从小父亲就不在身边。当我两岁的时候他就离开了家，尽管我妹妹和我很幸运，我们有一位好母亲和慈祥的爷爷奶奶照顾我们，但我仍觉父爱缺失。我时常想如果他是个更好的父亲我的人生可能会不一样。
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.
因此我努力让自己成为孩子们的好父亲。当然，并是不很成功——过去，我的工作决定我要远离家门，这也是情非得已，抚育两个女儿的重担就落到了米歇尔的肩上。
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.
但在我自己成长的经历中，我一直竭尽全力成为最好的父亲，孩子们想从父母那里需要什么这方面，这方面我还学了不少东西。
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，他们需要我们的时间。比我们陪伴他们度过大量时间更重要的是要提高我们与他们共度时间的质量。也许只是问问他们的日常生活，或是一起散步聊天，但这些最短的时光却可以产生最大的影响。
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.
他们也需要规矩，包括学会自律和责任心的价值。玛莉亚和萨莎这几天可能在白宫生活，但米歇尔和我还是要确保他们完成家庭作业，做好日常杂务，还有遛狗。
And above all, children need our unconditional love – whether they succeed or make mistakes; when life is easy and when life is tough.
除了这些，孩子们还需要我们无条件的爱——无论他们是成功还是犯了错误，无论生活是舒适还是艰难。
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.
现今对很多美国人来说生活很艰难。越来越多的孩子成长过程中没有父亲的陪伴。另外还有的孩子因为父亲身穿军装为祖国服务也没有父亲陪伴。即便是对那些可以陪伴孩子们的父亲来说，经济衰退也对他们造成了严重伤害。如果你失业了或为了家庭支出而挣扎，你也要尽全力让孩子们健康，快乐，安全，很显然这是优先于其他任何事情的。
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.
因此，政府为想做个好父亲的男人提供了一些额外的支持。我们鼓励社会和宗教团体关注父亲，并与企业合作为父亲们提供机会，让他们与孩子们一起度过在保龄球馆或棒球场的时光，与随军神父一起帮助父亲们建立与孩子们的联系。
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.
我们这么做，是因为我们都与培育父亲和孩子之间的紧密关系息息相关。你可以登录Fatherhood.gov看看我们为此做的更多事情。
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.
但我们也知道每个父亲都有责任为孩子们做榜样，让他们做正确的事情。我们都能鼓励孩子们关掉游戏捡起书本。我们都能为儿子收拾干净的午餐，或外出与女儿一起玩球。我们都能教给孩子们对与错的区别，以自己为榜样，让他们看到，我们怎么对待别人，别人才会同样对待我们的价值所在。
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.
我们的孩子们都很聪明。他们知道生活不会总是完美的，有时候，道路会比较崎岖，即便是伟大的父母也不一定每件事都做的对。
But more than anything, they just want us to be a part of their lives.
但更重要的是，他们希望我们成为他们生活的一部分。
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.
因此，最近我担当了第二份工作，成为萨莎她们篮球队的助理教练。星期天，我们一起参加球队训练，有几次我还参与教练指导她们的比赛。即便她对我这个老爸与裁判大呼小叫而翻眼皮，我依然觉得这充满乐趣。
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.
我看着她在球场上来回奔跑，看着她学习，改进并获得自信。我对未来的岁月充满期待，当她有一天回头看这些经历时，她能认识到这些帮助她长大成人——以及成为一位母亲。
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，做一个父母就是这样——这些与孩子们一起的珍贵时光让我们对孩子们的未来充满骄傲和欣喜；珍惜每次可以为他们树立榜样或提供建议的机会；机会永远都在那里，让他们知道我们爱他们。
That’s something worth remembering this Father’s Day, and every day.
这些值得我们在父亲节以及每一天牢记。
Thanks, and Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. Have a great weekend.
谢谢，祝所有身处战区的爸爸们父亲节快乐。祝大家周末愉快。 |