Michelle Obama reveals ‘nightmare’ navigating daughters’ teenage years in public eye

Former US President Barack Obama and wife Michelle Obama in 2024. Michelle has spoken out about the challenges of raising children in the spotlight. Photo / Getty Images via AFP, Andrew Harnik

• Michelle Obama described navigating her daughters’ teenage years as a “nightmare” due to public scrutiny.
• She highlighted the challenges of keeping their lives private, including play dates under Secret Service security.
• Obama emphasised balancing normalcy with the “Obama tax” of being children of a former president.

Michelle Obama has opened up on how she and husband Barack tried to protect their children and give them a “normal” life as teenagers.

Michelle Obama admits navigating her daughters’ teenage years was a “nightmare”.

The former first lady of the United States – who has Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23 with her husband Barack Obama – has opened up on the struggle the high-profile parents had with keeping their daughters’ personal lives out of the spotlight, and she described it as “a lot of work”.

President Barack Obama greets his wife Michelle and daughter Malia following his farewell speech to the nation on January 10, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. Photo / Getty Images, Scott Olson

Speaking on SixiusXM’s ‘Let’s Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa’, she recalled: “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.

“And 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.”

Michelle, 61, admitted keeping her daughter’s experimentation behind closed doors was tough.

There was also a lot to consider when it came to something as simple as “play dates” with other children from school.

She explained: “When your kids are under the security of the Secret Service, you almost have to work twice as hard to make their life normal.

“Imagine setting up the first play date or the first time the kids get invited to a play date.

“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.”

Michelle joked that her children still have “the Obama tax” in their lives as kids of a former US President, while there is a balancing act to strike.

She quipped: “We call that the Obama tax for them. You’ll have it the rest of your life, but you also have a lot of benefits.

“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.

“This world is not about you. This is just your dad’s job.”