*Administration of Barack Obama, 2012 *

**Remarks at Kenny's BBQ Smoke House **

*June 13, 2012 *

[*The President's remarks were joined in progress.*]

——these guys are also young fathers, and they're doing a great job. He's got four kids. He's got two. And Michelle and I have been working a lot with military families, trying to support them. When these guys are deployed, sometimes they're leaving the family behind, and we want to make sure they get support.

And then the reason the two older gentlemen are here is, as I was mentioning, barbershops are where a lot of men still come, and we want to work with them—we want to work with barbershops to figure out how we can get better information to fathers about resources that are available to them, where they can find job training programs, they can find support groups for fathers. Because the more information we're getting out there to folks about how they can take responsibility for their kids, make sure that they're in their child's lives, help support their mother even if they're not living with the mother—it makes a huge difference.

It turns out that with the father being involved, the kids are less likely to do drugs, they're less likely to—girls are less likely to have teen pregnancy. And so that message is something that we want to make sure gets out there. And barbershops are a good place to do it, so—because that's where everybody has to come, right?

So the—although I was teasing these guys, cutting their hair wouldn't be that complicated. [*Laughter*] You just take a—[*laughter*]. Isn't that right? I was just saying you got to give these guys a discount if they come in for a haircut, because that will only take 5 minutes. [*Laughter*]

So—all right, guys, thank you. Let—we're going to eat in peace now.

NOTE: The President spoke at 12:26 p.m. In his remarks, he referred to 1st Lt. William Edwards, USA, and his children David, Jacob, Elana, and Luke; Capt Joubert Paulino, USA, and his children Jonah and Julia; and barbers Otis Gamble and Nurney Mason of Washington, DC.

*Categories:* Addresses and Remarks : Kenny's BBQ Smoke House*.*

*Locations: *Washington, DC.* *

*Names:* Edwards, David; Edwards, Elana; Edwards, Jacob; Edwards, Luke; Edwards, William; Gamble, Otis; Mason, Nurney; Obama, Michelle; Paulino, Jonah; Paulino, Joubert; Paulino, Julia*.*

*Subjects:* Armed Forces, U.S. : Military families; Children and youth : Fathers, influence; District of Columbia : Kenny's BBQ Smoke House.

*DCPD Number:* DCPD201200471.