(Jan. 15) -- In an open letter to his daughters just days ahead of his inauguration, President-elect Barack Obama acknowledged that he has missed a lot in their lives over the past two years, and explains to them why he ran for the nation's highest office.
"I realized that my own life wouldn't count for much unless I was able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfillment in yours. In the end, girls, that's why I ran for President: because of what I want for you and for every child in this nation," he wrote in the letter, which is running in this weekend's editions of Parade magazine.
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Obama gets a bit sentimental at times, saying that becoming a father changed him. "I soon found that the greatest joy in my life was the joy I saw in yours."
He also uses the letter to spell out what he hopes to achieve for all children: good schools and job opportunities; unity along racial gender and religious lines; and a cleaner, safer world.
Obama closes the letter with this: "I love you more than you can ever know. And I am grateful every day for your patience, poise, grace, and humor as we prepare to start our new life together in the White House."
The photo gallery below looks at the early phase of that new life.
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