At worst, without our fathers, we wouldn’t be here. At best, children of all ages have an inextricable, inexhaustible bond with their fathers. The Twin Citians profiled here are among those blessed with a truly special father-and-child relationship. For them, every day is Father’s Day.

MOHAMED BARRE

Mohamed Barre’s six children, ages 9 to 5, are American, but they live in two worlds — Minnesotan and Somali. It’s a balancing act: “We are living in a host country, and I need to give my kids room to learn and adapt. Every morning, I think of this.”

A child support officer for Hennepin County for the last five years, Barre moved to Minnesota in 1998. He worked as a security guard while getting his degree in health and human services administration at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. He and his wife, Naema Ali, whom he met in school, are parents to boys Ismael, Ilias, Issa and Ishaq, and the youngest, twin girls Ilham and Ilhan. They share the surname of Barre’s father, Issa, according to Somali custom.

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