Some may be surprised to learn that while trying to solve the world's problems, Senator Obama continues to contribute to family chores—including ordering pizza and balloons for his daughter's birthday party. He even offered to get goody bags for the party, but Michelle drew the line. "I was, like, 'Oh, you can't handle goody bags, buddy,'" Michelle says. "I said, 'You'd walk into that party store and your head would explode.'"

"But the pizza and the balloons, they were there on time," Senator Obama jokes.

He may be a senator, but at home he is just a dad—and an embarrassing one at that! He once tried to shake the hand of one of 8-year-old Malia's friends and immediately got a talking to—kids, Malia says, don't shake hands. "'This is the 21st Century, Dad. … Maybe they say 'hey.' They might wave. But they do not shake hands,'" he recalls Malia saying. "I said, 'I'm sorry to embarrass you.' She said, 'That's okay, Daddy. You didn't know any better.'"

Still, the senator appreciates his daughters' patience with him. "They're very indulgent of me. It's wonderful," he says.