奥巴马父亲节演讲

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.

我们的孩子都很聪明。他们知道生活并不总是那么完美，

他们懂得有时候道路会比较坎坷，即便是伟大的父母也不一定每件事都做的对。

记得以前我写过一篇有关父亲的演讲稿，今天看到奥巴马的这篇演讲后颇有感触，迫不及待和大家分享。这是奥巴马少有的一篇跟政治无关的演讲，虽然父亲节已过，但作为英语学习资料永远不过时：

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.

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大家好！这个周末是父亲节，我想花点时间与大家交流下做父亲的感想。我觉得做好一个父亲的角色有时候最困难，但也最有意义。

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 mom 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.

从小父亲就不在我的身边。两岁时父亲离开了我们。但是我和妹妹很幸运，母亲和祖父母对我们关怀备至，将我们抚养成人。尽管如此，我仍然觉得父爱缺失。我时常想，如果父亲一直在我们的身边，我的人生可能就会不一样了。

That’s why I’ve tried pretty hard to be a good dad for my own kids. I haven’t always succeeded, of course – in the past, my job has kept me away from home more than often I would like to, and the burden of raising two young girls sometimes would fall too heavily on Michelle.

因此，当有了自己的孩子后，我便加倍努力，让自己成为一个好爸爸。当然，并非事事顺利。过去，因为工作的关系，我不得不经常出差，这实在是情非得已。所以，抚育两个女儿的重担有时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 couple of things about what our children need most from their parents.

自身成长的经历以及身为人父的经历，让我懂得了很多东西。我一直竭尽全力做到最好，我也懂得孩子们最想从父母那里得到什么。

First and foremost, 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 taking a walk together, but the smallest moments can have the biggest impact.

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首先，孩子们需要我们花时间陪伴。但陪伴他们的时间质量比时间数量更重要。也许只是日常生活中的简短问候，或是一起散步聊天，但这些最短暂的时光却可以对他们产生最大的影响。

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.

同时，他们也需要一种结构，包括需要了解自律和责任的价值。尽管玛莉亚和萨莎现在生活在白宫，但我和米歇尔还是要确保他们完成家庭作业，做好日常杂务，按时遛狗。

And above all, children need our unconditional love – whether they succeed or make mistakes; when life is easy and when life is tough.

最为重要的是，孩子们需要我们付出无条件的爱。无论他们是取得了成功，或是犯了错误，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 everything else.

现在，很多美国人的生活非常艰难。越来越多的孩子在成长过程中缺乏父亲的陪伴。有些父亲身穿军装，为国效力，孩子们便不得不在家苦苦等候。即便是那些可以陪伴孩子们的父亲，也因为经济衰退受到了严重的创伤。如果你失业了，或是入不敷出，也要尽全力让孩子们过上健康、快乐，安全的生活，这显然是最重要的事情。

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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，对于那些希望尽职做个好父亲的男人，政府正在为他们提供一些额外的支持。我们鼓励社会和宗教团体关注父亲的角色，并与企业合作为父亲们提供一些机会，让他们与孩子们一起度过在保龄球馆或棒球场的时光，或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，是因为为父亲和孩子建立更为紧密的联系，对所有人都大有裨益。如果您想了解更多我们正在参与的工作，请登录网站Fatherhood.gov。

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树立榜样，教育他们做正确的事情。我们都能够鼓励孩子们关掉游戏、捡起书本。我们都能为儿子准备健康的午餐，或与女儿一起外出打球。我们都能教育孩子们区分对错，并且以自己为榜样，让他们看到，我们希望别人怎样对待自己，就应该怎样对待别人，这非常重要。

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.

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我们的孩子都很聪明。他们知道生活并不总是那么完美，他们懂得有时候道路会比较坎坷，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. And it was great fun – even if Sasha rolled her eyes occasionally when her dad voiced his displeasure with the refs.

因此，最近我接受了第二份工作，成为萨莎她们篮球队的助理教练。每周日，我们都会一起参加球队的训练。有几次我还帮助教练指导她们的比赛。我这个老爸有时会对裁判表达不满，萨沙因而常常朝我翻白眼，即便如此，我依然觉得乐趣无穷。

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.

看着她在球场上来回奔跑，不断学习、取得进步并收获自信，我感到非常骄傲。我希望，未来有一天当她回顾这些经历时，能够认识到这些经历曾经帮助她长大成人，帮助她成为一位母亲。

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.

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最后我想说，这些都是为人父母的经历。我们与孩子们一起度过珍贵的时光，我们对孩子们的未来充满骄傲和欣喜；我们还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，我们应该向他们表达自己的爱。

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，祝所有父亲节日快乐！祝大家周末快乐！

（译文校对：Stephanie Shi）

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