--- title: Obama Goes Full Dad With Define the Relationship Question description: After delivering a speech at the University of Illinois, Barack Obama continued his day with a visit to Urbana landmark Caffe Paradiso. canonical: https://time.com/5390625/obama-dad-moment-2018/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-09-07T21:35:37.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:54:45.329Z og:title: 'Is That Awkward?' Obama Goes Full Dad With Relationship Question og:description: He initiated a "define the relationship" conversation. Dads gotta dad. og:url: https://time.com/5390625/obama-dad-moment-2018/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb4296b0fe787d2ce/698939c2457a5293e2d5f532/obama-relationship-question.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: Barack-Obama-Relationship-Question og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 'Is That Awkward?' Obama Goes Full Dad With Relationship Question twitter:description: He initiated a "define the relationship" conversation. Dads gotta dad. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb4296b0fe787d2ce/698939c2457a5293e2d5f532/obama-relationship-question.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'Is That Awkward?' Obama Goes Full Dad With Relationship Question > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Sep 7, 2018 9:35 PM UTC  Former President Barack Obama speaks to students at the University of Illinois where he accepted the Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government on September 7, 2018 in Urbana, Illinois. Former President Barack Obama speaks to students at the University of Illinois where he accepted the Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government on September 7, 2018 in Urbana, Illinois. Scott Olson/Getty Images  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Sep 7, 2018 9:35 PM UTC After delivering a speech at the University of Illinois on Friday in which he [denounced President Donald Trump](http://time.com/5390184/barack-obama-midterm-elections-speech/) for the first time by name since [leaving office](http://time.com/4641578/barack-obama-white-house-farewell/) over a year and a half ago, [former President Barack Obama](http://time.com/5388161/barack-michelle-obama-midterms-democrats/) continued his day with a visit to Urbana landmark Caffe Paradiso. [Obama](http://time.com/5371460/barack-obama-favorite-books-summer/) was ostensibly there to lunch with Illinois’ Democratic nominee for governor J. B. Pritzker, who is currently on the campaign trail. However, while chatting with some fellow customers, he reportedly went full dad mode. According to [CNN reporter Dan Merica](https://twitter.com/danmericaCNN), the 44th president unintentionally (or maybe intentionally) initiated a “define the relationship” conversation between a young pair dining at the restaurant. “Obama asks a man and a woman, ‘Are you guys a pair?'” Merica tweeted. “When they both didn’t say yes quickly, Obama said, ‘Is that awkward? Did I just make an awkward statement?’ The former president assured them that they looked good together later in the conversation.” > [](https://twitter.com/danmericaCNN/status/1038145367336996865) > [](https://twitter.com/kathrynw5/status/1038150877813645312) Merica later confirmed that the two were in fact not a couple and were “giggling about their exchange after Obama left.” > [](https://twitter.com/danmericaCNN/status/1038147720521887745) Dads gotta dad. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5390625/obama-dad-moment-2018/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5390625/obama-dad-moment-2018/"},"headline":"'Is That Awkward?' 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