Obama Redirects Focus to Families

As I watched President Barack Obama’s inaugural address at home in Raleigh with my two sons, I was overjoyed to hear him redefine the direction of a nation to benefit something I hold very dear to me—my family.

“The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified,” he said.

In refocusing the nation’s energy on building strong and healthy families, Obama seems to be paving the way for success in every avenue of the nation’s endeavors. Which child can hope to attend college if his father or mother is out of work? Who feels motivated to achieve if he is sick and cannot afford healthcare? Who is more prepared for success than a child in a family that does not have to worry how to pay the bills?

Obama’s speech was a giant leap away from the politics of fear toward trust in each other. It also embraced the values that we, as parents have been trying to teach our children. It was a call to get up and keep going when the going is tough, to never act as a bully, and to commit to caring for others less fortunate than ourselves. Consider these three excerpts:

“Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.”

“[Earlier generations] They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.”

“To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.”

The old parental demand to kids to “clean your plate and help do the dishes” has just gotten a boost from a new commander-in-chief. In households across the country, many parents are breathing a sigh of relief.