Michelle Obama is offering a rare and candid glimpse into the demanding reality of raising children under the constant gaze of the public eye. In a revealing interview on Let’s Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa, aired Tuesday, April 29, the former First Lady opened up about what it took to raise her daughters, Malia and Sasha, during Barack Obama’s presidency — a time marked by both national responsibility and deeply personal parenting challenges.
“That was a lot of work,” Michelle admitted. “And it got harder as they got older.” Malia and Sasha were just 10 and 7 years old when their father became president in 2008, spending their formative years in one of the most scrutinized households in the world. Michelle said that while she worked tirelessly to provide her daughters with a sense of normalcy, it took intense planning and plenty of behind-the-scenes maneuvering, per Ok Magazine.
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“They had to drive and they had to go to prom and they were on teams and they traveled to other schools and they had to do college searches, and they went to parties and they had drinks, and they tried out smoking and they did all the things,” she shared. “And every weekend was a nightmare, because we had to work to make sure that they, being regular teenagers, didn’t wind up on Page Six.”
Michelle emphasized that raising children with Secret Service protection added another layer of complexity. “It was a lot of intentionality,” she said. “Imagine setting up the first play date. The process of having my children at your house meant that an advance team had to come and question and search your house and ask if you had drugs and guns.”
Now that Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23, are grown, Michelle says her focus has shifted to helping them navigate their unique place in the world — as young women who will forever be known as the “Obama daughters.” “We call that the Obama tax for them,” she joked. “You’ll have it the rest of your life, but you also have a lot of benefits.”
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More than anything, Michelle wants her daughters to stay grounded. “This world is not about you. This is just your dad’s job,” she reminds them. Beyond motherhood, Michelle continues to inspire young people through her wisdom. Whether it’s on failure, purpose, or choosing a path, she urges women to remain resilient, embrace change, and chase joy — lessons she’s lived and now proudly passes on.
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