Skip to main contentSkip to footer

Barack Obama's throwback childhood photo with his mother is adorable

barack obama kid
Hannah Hargrave
US Deputy Editor
Share this:

It looks like Barack Obama was in for a wild ride even as a child. 

The former President of the United States may have become one of the most powerful men in the world, but as a kid, he had his sights set on being a pirate. 

MORE: Michelle Obama shares surprising sad news about daughters Sasha and Malia during lockdown 

Instagram fansite 44th_Potus shared the most epic throwback photo of Barack and his mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, this week and it's almost too cute for words. 

WATCH: Barack Obama's very relaxed home - see inside 

In the picture, Barack - now 59 - looked about three years old and wore an adorable pirate costume complete with a patch, moustache and a hooped earring. 

His doting mother knelt by his side and wrapped her arm around her little boy's waist. 

The fansite had shared the image to celebrate what would have been Stanley's birthday. 

READ: Michelle Obama shares glimpse inside stylish room at Washington home

GALLERY: Barack and Michelle's love story

View post on Instagram
 

Barack and his mother 

"@barackobama’s beautiful mom was born on this day," read the caption. "Happy Heavenly Birthday!"

Fans rushed to pay their respects. "You raised a precious son. You are watching over him," said one, while another wrote: "What a beautiful Mama with her sweet son who was and still is destined for great things."

Stanley - or Ann as she was best known for the majority of her adult life - was a young parent and gave birth to Barack when she was just 18 years old. 

Sadly she died when she was 52 from uterine and ovarian cancer, two years before Barack was elected to the Illinois state senate. 

EXPLAINED: Why Malia and Sasha Obama are rarely seen in public

GALLERY: Celebrity girl dads! Stars who are outnumbered at home but love it 

barack obama family© Photo: Instagram

Barack and Michelle's daughters are all grown up 

While Barack moved around a lot as a child with his mother, the same can't be said for his own children's upbringing. 

During his 2008 presidential campaign, he opened up about putting down roots with his wife Michelle and their daughters, Sasha and Malia. 

"We've created stability for our kids in a way that my mom didn't do for us," he told Time Magazine. "My choosing to put down roots in Chicago and marry a woman who is very rooted in one place probably indicates a desire for stability that maybe I was missing."

Read more HELLO! US stories here 

Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.

More Parenting

See more