Wednesday, May 7, 2025 - Former First Lady Michelle Obama has candidly revealed how her daughters' teenage experimentation with smoking and drinking became one of the biggest parenting challenges she faced.
Speaking to Kelly Ripa on SiriusXM’s Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast, Michelle opened up about raising Malia, now 26, and Sasha, 23, in the unforgiving spotlight of the White House.
"That was a lot of work," she admitted. "And it got harder as they got older."
While their early childhood during President Obama’s first term was relatively calm, things changed dramatically in his second term as the girls entered adolescence.
“They had to drive and they had to go to prom and they were on teams and they traveled to other schools… they went to parties and they had drinks, and they tried out smoking,” Michelle shared.
“Every weekend was a nightmare, because we had to work to make sure that them being regular teenagers didn't wind up on Page Six.”
Managing normal teenage behavior under Secret Service watch was no easy feat.
Even something as simple as a playdate came with intense security measures.
“An advance team had to come and question and search your house and ask if you had drugs and guns,” she said.
“You almost have to work twice as hard to make their life normal.”
Now that her daughters are independent adults, Michelle’s focus has shifted.
“We call that the Obama tax,” she joked. “You’ll have it the rest of your life, but you also have a lot of benefits.”
Her mission now is to keep them grounded despite their unique upbringing.
“I’m trying to make this feel normal to them… so they don’t think any of this is about them,” she added.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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