Barack Obama has named one task that could pose quite a challenge for him due to him growing up without a dad.
During his appearance on Michelle Obama's IMO podcast, which she co-hosts with her brother Craig Robinson, the former president said he would face major obstacles when it comes to raising a son.
In the podcast episode, which is set to premiere on Wednesday, July 16, Barack noted, "I think we did a pretty good job of raising our girls, but I've said often that I think I would have had more difficulty raising a son."
Explaining his point, he added, "I think I might've been more judgmental, harder, and I would've tried to — I'd like to think I would have been more self-aware enough to combat that, but I just think father-son relationships, for me, particularly if I don't have a dad around to show it to me, might've been more difficult."
Born in Hawaii and raised by his mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, Barack's father was not an active figure in his life, as his mother divorced Barack H. Obama Sr. when the president was just 2.
Previously, in a 2021 Instagram post, the father-of-two shared that he "didn't really know" his father, who, after separating from his mom, only travelled from Kenya to visit him once, when Barack was a 10-year-old boy.
Elsewhere in the podcast, Barack emphasised the importance of lifting up men and boys and how their prosperity has implications for the world.
"If you're not thinking about what's happening to boys and how are they being raised, then that can actually hurt women," Barack said.
Notably, Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, share two daughters together: Malia, 27, and Sasha, 24.
