Sasha And Malia's Allowance As Kids Proves Obama Never Spoiled His Daughters

Many parents pay their children an allowance for completing various chores around the house or for getting good grades in school. The going rate obviously varies by household, but in the Obama family's case it was not very high at all. During a 2008 People interview, which was conducted prior to the presidential election, Barack and Michelle Obama made it abundantly clear that they didn't spoil their daughters Malia and Sasha Obama with the truly paltry rate they got. When asked if their kids received an allowance, Michelle confirmed "Sorta, kinda," and laughed. Barack then interjected, "I'm out of town all the time, so Malia will say, 'Hey, you owe me 10 weeks!'" 

As the future president elaborated, "Originally, we were giving her a dollar a week as long as she did all her chores. It turns out that she's been doing her chores even without prompting from the allowance, which makes me feel guilty that she's been carrying on her end of the bargain and I haven't been as consistent." Michelle and Barack also listed the kinds of chores that their daughters typically did, including cleaning up their toys and tackling the dishes. Further, in that very same interview, the future first couple explained that Sasha and Malia didn't get birthday presents from them since they usually shelled out for expensive, fun-filled birthday parties with lots of friends instead.

Naturally, things changed significantly for the Obama family when they moved into The White House following Barack Obama's win in 2008. However, Michelle Obama wanted to make sure that Malia and Sasha Obama's lives weren't derailed by the sudden, extreme shift in their lifestyle created by their new home at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. During an episode of "The Michelle Obama Podcast," also featuring Michelle's beloved mother Marian Robinson and her older brother Craig Robinson, the "Becoming" author discussed the difficult transition from their relatively normal life in Chicago to suddenly being under the microscope in Washington D.C.

"One of the things that I had to learn how to negotiate was creating these boundaries with my kids in The White House," Michelle acknowledged, describing how they went from living near family to residing among insane luxury with a whole staff at their disposal. She still wanted her daughters to be grounded in that environment, adding, "And then trying to make sure that they understood boundaries, understood responsibility." 

Michelle spoke to Marian (who lived in The White House with them) about the change, pointing out, "You had to basically upend the system of The White House to get them to make sure these girls had some semblance of normalcy, right?" As she confessed in her book, "The Light We Carry," having her mother's help was great but Marian isn't someone who's comfortable in the spotlight. She also kept Michelle grounded by consistently reminding her daughter that she was still a normal person regardless.

While speaking with Marian and Craig Robinson on her podcast, Michelle Obama also described how tough it was to hide that she was disappointed if Barack Obama was not around. The former first lady didn't want to upset Malia and Sasha Obama or to give any kind of indication that their lifestyle was atypical, "But I found that especially in The White House when there was a demand [...] Even as Barack being the president of the United States, he worked his schedule around their schedule." Michelle added, "I never wanted them to resent the presidency or resent what their dad did. And I always thought, well, they would if their lives were put on hold for things that he had to do." 

Fortunately, Sasha and Malia eventually got used to Barack and herself traveling so much. Even despite it all though, as the bestselling author divulged on "The Light Podcast," when the time came to move out it was heartbreaking for the family leaving 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Referring to her girls, Michelle noted, "They remembered Chicago but they had spent more time in The White House than anywhere," (via The Guardian). 

Still, it seems like the former first lady's efforts to give her daughters a somewhat normal upbringing in an abnormal environment worked. Both are hard workers; Sasha had a normal summer job when she was a teenager, and Malia started her Hollywood career at just 15 years old. Plus, as of this writing, it seems like Sasha has joined the rest of her family in show business as well.