Playing favorites much? Maybe not … Michelle Obama is giving fans a candid glimpse into parenting in the Obama household, sharing which of their daughters Barack once described as the more “difficult” to raise.
On a recent episode of her podcast, Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast, with her brother Craig Robinson, Michelle told guests Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union that Sasha, the youngest, gave Barack more of a challenge compared to their oldest daughter, Malia.
“I’d say this to Barack, when it comes to, you know, [our] oldest, Malia, she is going to figure out who you are, what do you like and let’s discuss it,” Michelle recalled. She pointed out that Malia’s willingness to engage was “unusual” for a teenager, since most at that age tend to pull away. Malia, however, often found ways to connect with her father.
Michelle recalled how, even as a teen, Malia made time for him. “When Malia was a teenager, it wasn’t that she was going out any less or doing anything differently. She would tell me, ‘I’m going out this weekend, but I’m going to go in and give dad like 15 minutes.’” Those moments, she explained, usually turned into deep discussions. “She’d go into the Treaty Room and be like, ‘Tell me about Syria,’” Michelle joked, adding that Barack would come out glowing, telling her, “I just had an amazing conversation with Malia.” With sarcasm, Michelle admitted her reaction was, “I’m like, ‘Ok.’”
As for Sasha, on the other hand, she had a very different personality. “Sasha is like a cat,” Michelle explained. “She’s like, ‘Don’t touch me, don’t pet me. I’m not pleasing you. You come to me.’”
According to Michelle, Barack would often describe Sasha as “difficult,” though she stressed that parenting requires flexibility. “Some people parent to one child, or one personality child, but then you have three,” she said, noting that moms and dads have to adapt to each child’s temperament.