One of the reasons so many people admire Barack Obama is because of the strong family values he represents. The former president is known to be a devoted and loving father to his two daughters, Malia and Sasha Obama. Malia, the eldest, was born in 1998, and her younger sister, Natasha—better known as Sasha—was born four years later. Barack has often expressed that his daughters mean more to him than anything else in the world, which made it especially difficult when one of them fell seriously ill.

During a fundraising dinner in 2012 with a small group of supporters, Obama opened up about one of the hardest moments of his life: when baby Sasha was diagnosed with meningitis as an infant. He recalled, “People ask me what the hardest time in my life was. They mention the debt ceiling debate or other political challenges—but when Sasha got meningitis at three months old, that was it. I still remember going to the hospital together, and they had to give her a spinal tap.” The devoted father described how, in that moment, nothing else mattered. “Your world narrows to this very small point. There’s one thing you care about, and you don’t care about anything else,” he said.

Even though raising children is one of life’s greatest joys, Obama admitted it comes with challenges—especially when you’re serving as President of the United States. Malia and Sasha practically grew up in the White House, living much of their childhood in the public eye. Michelle Obama once shared that she reminded her daughters to stay grounded, go to school, and do their homework just like any other kids. Despite growing up under intense public scrutiny, Malia and Sasha handled it with grace and never embarrassed their parents—a true reflection of the love, discipline, and values instilled in them by Barack and Michelle.