Barack Obama Shares How Having An 'Absent' Dad Influenced His Parenting

Barack Obama got candid about the importance of being a good father ahead of the release of his memoir, "A Promised Land."

On Saturday, Obama, 59, shared a throwback family photo on Instagram and revealed that he is dedicating his upcoming book to his wife, Michelle Obama, and their daughters, Malia and Sasha. In his lengthy post, he shared that having a father who was not around while he was growing up altered his own parenting.

"The fact that my own father was largely absent from my childhood helped shape my ideas about the kind of father I intended to be," the former president wrote.

"When Malia was born, I made a promise to myself that my kids would know me, that they’d grow up feeling my love keenly and consistently, knowing that I’d always put them first," he continued.

Despite the challenges of being president, Obama said that he made sure to sit down for dinner with Michelle, Sasha and Malia every evening and "catch up on [their] days." For him, this was "one of the best parts of living above the store, as I sometimes called it."

The former president went on to say that he is happy he was around to witness his children grow up and find their own paths in life.

"Seeing them grow up into the intelligent, strong, and compassionate young women they’ve become has been the greatest joy of my life," he continued. "I’m reminded constantly that there’s no place in the world I’d rather be than with Miche and our girls—and it's why I've dedicated my memoir to them. #APromisedLand."

Aside from the family snapshot, Obama also shared the dedication page of his memoir, which reads: "To Michelle - my love and life's partner and Malia and Sasha - whose dazzling light makes everything brighter."

Michelle previously opened up on her podcast about how they raised their daughters when her husband was president, revealing that he planned his schedule around theirs.

The former first lady also said that she and her husband made sure that the presidency would not affect the lives of their children too much. Michelle added that she didn’t want Malia and Sasha to resent the presidency or what their dad did.

Meanwhile, "A Promised Land" is the first of two volumes of his post-presidential memoir. It will provide an "honest accounting" of Obama's presidency and a closer look at his family life with wife Michelle and their two daughters.

In excerpts published by CNN, Obama discussed in the memoir how his marriage was affected by the presidency.

"[L]ying next to Michelle in the dark, I'd think about those days when everything between us felt lighter, when her smile was more constant and our love less encumbered, and my heart would suddenly tighten at the thought that those days might not return," Obama wrote.

"A Promised Land" is set to be released Tuesday.