Despite their immensely high-profile position, former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama have always endeavored to give their daughters as "normal" a life as possible.
The pair share daughters Malia, 27, and Sasha, 24, both of whom now live in California and are part of the entertainment industry in their separate ways.
As part of PARENTS' inaugural Next Gen Awards honorees, Michelle, 61, spoke about encouraging her daughters to embrace a sense of normalcy in the White House and the way she and Barack, 63, tried to inspire those principles themselves.
© Instagram"Barack and I did everything we could to give our girls as normal of a life as possible," the author explained. "When we were at the White House, we made sure they were doing things like making their beds every morning and as they got older, getting summer jobs."
While things changed once Barack left office in 2017, there was still a level of fame and public attention they had to deal with. "Once we left the White House, their lives slowly began to inch a little closer toward normalcy."
She continued: "But the truth is, their circumstances have been extraordinary in so many ways — and that forced them to learn critical skills like discipline, flexibility, and determination to go after what they really wanted."
© WireImageMichelle praised Malia and Sasha for handling being under intense "scrutiny" due to their name and taking it all with pride and dignity. "And now here we are."
"My girls are both in their 20s," she continued. "And while they know that even now, they are under more scrutiny than others their age, they've learned to roll with the punches."
"I'm always so impressed by how they handle it — with grace, resolve, and charm. These days, more than anything, I can't wait to see how they surprise us next."
© InstagramThe podcast host also commented on how over time, she was able to grasp that parenting styles will differ from family to family, based on their own unique circumstances, and it's okay to contrast with others when it comes to those matters.
"Each of us has our own style when it comes to raising kids," Michelle explained. "So if you're doing something different than your friends and neighbors, that's OK."
"Just like our kids, we're going to have times where we succeed and times when we fail. That's a part of the journey. We have to recognize that, and give ourselves — and each other — a little grace along the way."
© InstagramExpanding also upon her decision to launch her candid new podcast with her brother Craig Robinson, IMO, she said that she found a surprising level of catharsis in being open about her decisions as a parent rather than "curling up" into her own safe bubble.
"It's so easy for us to curl up into this protective instinct and not talk about the messy or more complicated bits of our lives. It can feel dangerous to expose those imperfect parts of ourselves. But over the years, I have learned that it's really the opposite," the mom-of-two noted.
"As parents, we're all going through similar things. And some of us have questions that others have the answers to. But we're not going to get those answers without having the courage to put ourselves out there."
