I never thought I (42) and President Biden (81) would have much in common. He is a kid of Scranton and a politician. We are generations apart, and I consider myself empathetic but not nearly as much as President Biden. He has dealt with unthinkable tragedies, and although I have seen my share of tragedy, I am not sure that it made me better. For you, it made you want to ensure that people knew how to deal with pain and that, eventually, when the sting leaves, how can you help someone else? Even if policies failed, we know you are a decent man.
However, none of this resonates as much as who you are as a father. We have watched you beam with pride over your children, and as Hunter said in his tribute to you, “He is unique in public life today, in that there is no distance between Joe Biden the man and Joe Biden, the public servant of the last 54 years” This does not shock me because even in times of peril with your children it is your steadfast demeanor that we notice. I am a mom of a son and a daughter, and their personalities are so different that I do not know how they reside together in our home. Weslie is outgoing and makes friends everywhere, but can overshare and scare people away. Trey is athletic and stoic, not easy to build rapport with, but he is so kind once he gets to know you. I describe them because President Biden has shown us that every kid must be loved differently. Beau and Hunter, although brothers are just as different. To the public eye, Beau was your child who did what he was supposed to do, never gave you much trouble, and always felt a sense of duty. While Hunter gives us a rebellious side that we all know wasn’t just a side. He marches to his own beat, and we never saw you love them differently. I realize this is just 2/4 of your children, but for me, it represents parental duality.
I realize that when people say you have to have one of each, children are what they mean because there is beauty in having children with very different personalities. You acknowledged struggles with love and persistence, which is exactly what we needed. Watching you, I realized that every child may have different needs, but you love them the same. We all watched this spring/summer while Hunter was on trial, some very uncomfortable details were made public, but when it was over, you embraced him not as a President but as a Father. When asked in 2016 if you would run for President, you felt it wasn’t a good time as you had just buried Beau the year before, and your family needed you. This is how I know that what Hunter said is true: who you are in The White House is who you were in Delaware, steadied and genuine. Parenting is so hard, but parenting publicly is even more challenging. We are so grateful for your service to the country and for showing that there is no off switch when it comes to parenting, no matter your position. Thank you for your leadership and, more importantly, your example.
