By now it’s no secret that President Obama occasionally takes the time to respond personally to people who write to him at the White House. Still, it’s kind of remarkable that the president of the United States has the time and energy to do such things.
So when my friend Adriane, a single mom, and her 4 year-old son Merrick wrote to Obama because Merrick wanted to invite him over for dinner, she said that “never in a million years would I have expected a response, let alone a handwritten one.” But respond to their letter — which she says included a picture Merrick drew for Obama along with a photograph of him dressed up like the president for a school picture — he did, with the handwritten note above no less.
She writes: “I told (Merrick) I couldn’t invite him to dinner but I would write him a letter telling him that he had a 4 yr old supporter. So we did and that was enough for Merrick. You should have seen his face when I opened it and read it. He thinks I’m pretty important to have gotten a letter from the President.”
When I asked what the gist of the letter she wrote was, she explained: “Basically that I had a 4 year-old son who’s idolized him since his preschool class had learned about the election and that I was glad that he had someone like President Obama to look up to, who also grew up without a father. Just thanking him for being a good president and a good role model.”
In the event you can’t read Obama’s handwriting, here’s a transcript of the note…
Adriane —
Thanks so much for your touching letter. As the child of a single mom myself, I have a sense of how tough your job must be. But hang in there, and tell Merrick that I said hello (and tell him to work hard in school!)
Barack Obama
Adriane adds that Merrick went through a phase in which he “spent about a month only wanting to dress like (Obama)” and that she’d “vote for him a few more times” if she could.