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I've said this time and again: My greatest concern coming into the White House was making sure my girls came out whole and normal, and decent and kind, just like I would expect them to if we were living on the South Side of Chicago. And it takes work to keep White House life normal for the kids.

In the end, the American dream is not a sprint, or even a marathon, but a relay. Our families don't always cross the finish line in the span of one generation. But each generation passes on to the next the fruits of their labor.

It was surreal to step out of my own existence and see how most American children experience things.

All of us have moments in our lives that test our courage. Taking children into a house with a white carpet is one of them.

I've been running my whole life. Running into bars, running around the world. But when you have a child, you can't run. That was a revelation.

Several people have told me that one of the most meaningful events they could attend would be something at the White House with their children.

Yeah, I'm running for the White House again. Well, it's not a run, really; it's sort of a brisk walk.

Many children are natural fantasists, I think, perhaps because their imaginations have yet to be clobbered into submission by experience.

We have got to work on keeping these children engaged with the world.