Michelle Obama Reveals Sassy One-Liner She Used To Keep Malia And Sasha's Behavior In Check
In numerous interviews, Michelle Obama has talked about her intentional approach to parenting her daughter,s Malia and Sasha Obama. Malia and Sasha were ten and seven years old at the beginning of Barack Obama's two presidential terms, so they spent a significant chunk of their childhoods living in the White House. Given their unusual situation, Michelle prioritized giving her daughters a normal upbringing. Part of this strategy included making them take care of their own rooms rather than letting staff do this job for them.
During an appearance on "The Moments That Make Us" podcast, Michelle shared an overarching theme of her parenting style. Michelle noted she wasn't opposed to getting tough when the situation demanded it. "I never felt my job was to create mini-mes . . . or to be my friend," Michelle revealed. "As my girls joke, I always said that my favorite line [was] 'I'm not one of your little friends.'" Rather than parental likability, Michelle was looking to teach her kids self-respect, and her strategy fostered a strong bond between her, Malia, and Sasha. "Through those boundaries, we're such good friends, but there were some lines drawn," Michelle added.
In a 2002 appearance on "Extras AM," Michelle divulged the reasoning behind her catchy one-liner, noting parental responsibilities frequently conflict with children's desires. "Your kids have to learn how to live in their unhappiness, they have to learn how to live with unfairness, and they have to learn it in their house," Michelle explained.
Michelle was prepping her daughters for their future
Michelle Obama enjoyed a close relationship with her mom, Marian Robinson, and even asked her to live with them in the White House. When Malia and Sasha Obama were growing up, Michelle adhered to one of her mom's key parenting philosophies: "You're not raising babies, you're raising little people" (via Instagram).
As part of following Marian's guidelines, Michelle needed to focus on the present as well as her daughters' futures. Beyond living their childhoods in the public eye, Michelle was aware that Malia and Sasha's outsized reputation as presidential daughters would be lifelong. "Those girls had to be smart, and confident and independent straight away," Michelle informed "The Moments That Make Us" podcast. "You're not going to live here and with me forever so I got to hand you your life soon and let you manage it."
As part of that method, Michelle knew she had to let her kids learn from both their mistakes and their successes. However, she also admitted it wasn't always easy to curb the impulse to smooth the way for them. For instance, when Malia and Sasha were teens, Michelle struggled with feeling doubts about her parenting prowess whenever her daughters experienced difficulties. Fortunately, now that her kids are grown, she's able to appreciate the successful adults they've become. Sasha and Malia live together in Los Angeles, and Michelle is overjoyed that her daughters have such a strong connection.