Happy Father's Day, Mr. President: Obama’s 5 Cutest Daddy-Daughter Photos

— -- President Obama may have grown up without a father, but that doesn’t mean he's not determined to be a good parent.

"People often ask me whether being President has made it more difficult to spend time with Michelle and our girls," the president wrote in a column in MORE Magazine. "But the surprising truth is that being in the White House has made our family life more 'normal' than it’s ever been."

His wife and two teenage daughters, Sasha and Malia, are " my sanctuary," Obama wrote, calling the women in his family "the most important people in my life."

In honor of Father’s Day today, first lady Michelle Obama tweeted out a photo of her husband posing in swim trunks with baby Sasha and Malia.

“Being a dad is one of the most important jobs a man can have,” the president wrote in a Father’s Day proclamation released Friday. “Where our own fathers fell short, we have an obligation to rise up and do better.”

The president, who has often lamented his own father’s absence, has long urged fathers, especially African-American fathers, to step up to the plate.

“Today,” he wrote in his proclamation, “we celebrate the men who provide us unconditional love and support, and who teach us to lead lives of courage and character.”

So as families across the country honor devoted dads, here are five of Obama’s most adorable father-daughter pics:

1. Uno! Sasha giggles with her father during a family card game in 2007.

2. Vote for Daddy: Malia, Sasha and Obama share a laugh at a campaign stop in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 2008.

3. Eek! Obama swerves a bumper car at the 2007 Iowa State Fair as Sasha squeals with delight.

4. Newly elected president Obama embraces Malia after his victory speech in Chicago Nov. 4, 2008.

5. Good job, dad. Sasha flashes a thumbs-up after Obama completes his oath of office in Washington Jan, 20, 2009.