As the clock ticks toward Election Day in Ohio and Texas, BARACK OBAMA takes time out of his hectic schedule to talk to our JANN CARL about the people who keep him grounded during this crucial time in his life.

"If I ever get puffed up, she punctures me, knocks me down a peg," he says of his wife MICHELLE. "[She] asks me about stuff I was supposed to do around the house that hasn't gotten done. And my girls do that. Because whether I've had a good day or a bad day, if I'm talking to them and they tell me something exciting about a field trip they took or a play they're in, it reminds me of what's important."

Barack says that his 9-year-old is a chatterbox while the 6-year-old is a comedian. "They're better than TV," he says of his girls. "You just sit there and they can just amuse you all day long. And they're still at that age where they actually think you know what you're talking about. I'm sure that will fade very soon!"

He says so far his daughters have been pretty well protected from the spotlight, but have learned that him running for president takes some adjusting. So he and Michelle have made a deal with them. "After the campaign -- win or lose -- they will get a dog," he says. "Sometimes I worry that they're rooting for me to lose so that they can get their dog quicker!"