There has been a lot of talk lately about President-elect Barack Obama's role as a father, including analysis of his parenting skills, discussion of the family's house rules and comparisons with other famous presidential dads - such as JFK.


But what does Obama's presidency mean to the average father? It may be too soon to know exactly, but we can look at the promises that his campaign made during the run-up to the election to get a better idea about the values and parenting advice he supports.

Specifically, the Obama/Biden campaign proposed reintroducing the Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act. This legislation was first suggested by Obama and Senator Evan Bayh in 2007.

The act promises to remove some of the government penalties on married families, crack down on men avoiding child support payments, make sure these payments go to families instead of the state, fund support services for fathers and their families, and support the prevention of domestic violence.

"As fathers, we need to teach our boys what makes you a man is not just having a child, it's having the courage to raise a child," Obama said, commenting on the legislation. "This legislation will provide support for fathers who are trying to do the right thing."

This support would take the form of job training, employment opportunities and an expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit.

Obama also strongly believes that fathers should develop their parenting skills and be a part of their kids' lives.

In his widely discussed Father's Day speech of 2008, the then-senator raised concerns that "too many" dads are "missing from too many lives and too many homes."

His parenting advice focused on how creating strong family foundations can produce building blocks for an even stronger society.

In other words: Dads, your parenting skills really do make a difference - not just for your own kids, but for the larger world.

Sarah Beldo is a [http://www.greatdad.com/tertiary/274/2806/best-parenting-advice-part-i.html]parenting advice and [http://www.greatdad.com/tertiary/334/2799/five-parenting-skills-necessary-for-new-dads.html]parenting skills specialist for greatdad.com.

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