When kids reach their teen years, parents usually keep an extra close eye on them to ensure they don’t get into too much trouble. This is especially true if their children are in the spotlight, where even the smallest thing can blow up.
Michelle Obama knows exactly what this feels like, as she had to take extra care as her two daughters, Malia Obama, 26, and Sasha Obama, 23, grew up in the public eye.
The former First Lady of the United States revealed the struggles both she and husband Barack Obama, 63, faced when their daughters started smoking.
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When Barack took office in 2008, Malia and Sasha were just 10 and seven years old at the time. As they grew older, Michelle, 61, says she knew they would try new experiences, but figured the public might not see it this way.
“That was a lot of work and it got harder as they got older,” Michelle told Kelly Ripa during an appearance on her podcast Let’s Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa.
“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," Michelle reflected.
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This meant Michelle had to make sure her daughters could experience their teenage years without it making headlines.
"Every weekend was a nightmare,” she continued. “Because we had to work to make sure that them being regular teenagers didn't wind up on Page Six."
However, this was often the case, as Malia was pictured smoking in 2016 and 2017 when she was around 18 years old. Articles ran with headlines claiming she was ‘caught’ and others questioned what exactly she was puffing on.
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"When your kids are under the security of the Secret Service, you almost have to work twice as hard to make their life normal," Michelle added. "Imagine setting up the first play date or the first time the kids get invited to a playdate. The process of having my children at your house meant that an advanced team had to come and question and search your house and ask if you had drugs and guns."
Now that they are both adults, Michelle is working on helping them navigate the spotlight as the daughters of a former POTUS.
"We call that the Obama tax for them," she shared. "You'll have it the rest of your life, but you also have a lot of benefits."
Michelle added: "I'm trying to make this feel normal to them, because you don't want them to start thinking, number one, they're full of themselves, that any of this is about them and that their job is to go about their lives."
Topics: Michelle Obama, Parenting, Celebrity
Gregory Robinson