Michelle Obama's Tongue-In-Cheek Description Of Sasha And Malia's White House Playdates

With great presidential power comes great responsibility and an even greater security risk. It's not uncommon to see the first family escorted by a large group of giant black cars, security guards, and even an ambulance. Given the importance and risks of the job, it almost seems like no amount of security will ever be enough. And this need for protection also bleeds into their private lives, as Michelle Obama and her daughters, Sasha and Malia Obama, know all too well. 

Speaking to CBS News, Michelle remarked that she was surprised her daughters managed to create such strong friendships during their father's presidency because of how different Sasha and Malia's lives were from typical teenagers. The former first lady detailed the hoops their friends had to jump through for a simple sleepover: "It's like, 'Hello. OK, we're going to need your Social Security number, we're going to need your date of birth. There are going to be men coming to sweep your house." 

She added that they strongly urged their daughters' friends to own up to any potential drugs and guns in their homes because security would find them anyway. Michelle joked, "And, uh, thank you for having Malia and Sasha over. Oh, and by the way, there is going to be a man with a gun sitting outside all night. If you let him use the bathroom, that would be nice." But despite all these crucial protective measures, the Obamas tried to create a sense of normalcy for their children.

A presidential family's life is naturally pretty hectic, so the White House employs a strong support staff to keep everything running well. However, Michelle Obama informed Today that she limited Malia and Sasha Obama's support staff access so they could learn how to do basic household chores and remember those skills when they moved out of The White House. As the president's children, the media's eyes were always on Malia and Sasha, but Michelle didn't want that to rob them of the beauty of making mistakes and learning from them. 

The kids obviously didn't have a say in their father's job, so Michelle felt that they shouldn't lose out on their adolescence because of it. Speaking to CBS, Michelle revealed that she chose to raise her daughters how she and former President Barack Obama were raised to help them find some sense of normalcy amidst all the chaos of being in the first family. On "The Michelle Obama Podcast," (via Elle), she admitted that she initially found it difficult to set healthy boundaries between necessary protection and normalcy while ensuring her daughters knew the importance of their positions. 

As President of the United States, Barack was often preoccupied with pressing matters and couldn't make it to certain events, but Michelle didn't let her daughters feel the absence more by complaining about it. She also ensured Malia and Sasha's father's status didn't stop them from exercising their free will either.

Like every parent, Barack and Michelle Obama felt an outpouring of bittersweet emotions when they dropped their daughter, Malia Obama, off at Harvard for her freshman year. But their anxieties were heightened because the Obamas had to leave their daughter all alone. During an episode of her podcast, the former First Lady explained how they dealt with this anxiety in their own ways. Michelle focused on setting up Malia's dorm and even devised a mundane task for her husband to keep him occupied. And while they managed to contain their emotions on the drive to the university, they couldn't hold them in on the way back. 

Both parents teared up because they realized their little girl was all grown up. And while most security guards in the car ignored their crying, Barack's agent, Allen, offered the former president a handkerchief. However, the whole family reunited shortly after because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking on "CONAN," Michelle confirmed that they initially loved having their daughters back home. They even developed a routine where they would work in the daytime before getting together for family activities like playing games, solving puzzles, and enjoying cocktails. 

But eventually, both parents and daughters got sick of seeing each other. Regardless, the "Becoming" author gushed about her daughters in her podcast: "Both Malia and Sasha have turned out to be wonderful young ladies, and very well-adjusted, given what they had to deal with right at a very important developmental point in their lives," (via Elle).