Monday, June 22, 2009

President Obama's PSA and the Next One




posted by Michele Olson


Hopefully, you had a wonderful Father's day celebration either being "the Dad" or honoring a Dad.
The National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC), Fatherhood.gov, is very proud to announce that President Obama has done some public service announcements about the importance of fatherhood. If you are going to get a spokesperson, getting the President of the United States is pretty good way to go. Visit the website to view the PSA's.
He talks about the importance of spending time with your kids and doing the day to day things that do mean so much over time.

Now, who would like to ask the President and First Lady Michelle if they are willing to do the same for marriage? Wouldn't you like to see them together talking about the importance of valuing your marriage no matter how busy you are? What if they would encourage people to work on their communication and conflict resolution skills by taking a workshop or class?

Maybe the script would be something like this:
President Obama: Hi, my wife Michelle and I realize the importance of nurturing and valuing our marriage, no matter what the day holds. I have busy days just like you do. Whether it's a press conference in Cairo in the morning, a signing a bill from Congress in the afternoon, Michelle and I always make the time to have dinner together.
Michelle: Conflict resolution doesn't have to involve Afghanistan or North Korea, it can also take place right in your own Lincoln bedroom, if you have the right skills. Why not take the time to attend a marriage workshop or class? That way when you start getting hassled by your house staff or the secret service is bugging you, you can talk about it and be on the same page as a couple.

Well...maybe the script wouldn't go quite like that, but you get the idea.
What famous couple would you like to see on public service announcements promoting marriage?








4 comments:

M. Denise Wilmer Barreto said...

I 100% agree.

As we can see from other developments this week, the single most important relationship behind your relationship with your Maker is the marriage relationship.

Clearly, culturally in our country (and elsewhere) it has been communicated that this relationship is disposable and no longer "relevant."

I disagree and believe we need more role models - famous and not-so-famous couples to step up and support others in their marriages. We need to encourage one another and start a national dialogue on the importance of this relationship.

I am a Christian and I believe that the church has the biggest responsibility in this. We should all be alert to lend a hand when someone is hurting and encourage humility and healing.

Thanks for the post.

thinkmarriage.org said...

Hello M,
Thanks for lending your thoughts...you are so right...if everyone would take the time to be a "Marriage Champion" and champion marriage...famous or not famous...it would go a long way in showing the world that strong marriages matter so much. Thanks for blogging!

Angela :) said...

One couple that I have always been impressed with is Will and Jada Smith. I'm not one who is all star crazy, but when I have seen interviews with these two, they seem very grounded and committed in their relationship.

They said they made a determination from the beginning of their marriage that they were together forever, divorce wasn't an option. From there they decided that when tough times came, they could either be miserable about it, or deal with it, move on and have a blast being together. They chose to have a blast.
They are an outspoken couple when it comes to the strength and importance of their marriage, which is refreshing in this society of Hollywood marriages, where it is considereda success if you last more than a year.
Now, if we all could make that same determination in our own marriages. I've often thought of the Smiths when I'm tempted to be frustrated by a little thing my hubby does. Instead, I choose to see all the positives which far outweigh a few idiosyncracies. Our marriage is far better for it.

thinkmarriage.org said...

Hello Angela!
Great comments. Since this is Will's second marriage, I'm sure he was more determined than ever to make it succeed. In fact Jada is on the cover of Redbook Magazine this month talking about her marriage. Here is a link to the online article.
http://www.redbookmag.com/fun-contests/celebrity/jada-pinkett-smith-interview?click=pp

Copy and paste it into your search engine.
Thanks for the good thoughts and keep on blogging!