Michelle Obama Struggled To Keep Sasha And Malia's 'Smoking' Out Of The Press During Their Younger Years

Former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama has never been shy about discussing her time in the White House from 2008 to 2016.

In her book, "Homecoming," Michelle discussed how life had changed for her and her daughters, Sasha and Malia Obama, in an instant. She even opened up about the struggles she faced trying to raise her children in the public eye.

During a recent sitdown with TV host Kelly Ripa on her radio show, "Let's Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa," Michelle Obama touched on the difficulties she faced trying to shield her daughters from certain aspects of fame again. According to her, as Sasha and Malia got older, Michelle became more protective of them and did whatever she could to make sure their experiences weren't front-page news.

"That was a lot of work," Michelle told Ripa about trying to maintain a sense of normalcy for her children while they were living in the White House, adding that it "got harder as they got older."

Michelle explained that shielding certain experiences her daughters were having from the media became a "nightmare." However, she and her team did what they needed to ensure Sasha and Malia were not the talk of the town the following day.

"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 said, "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 went on to say that ensuring her children could live their lives free from the tabloids took "a lot of intentionality."

She also recalled how their routines had become more structured due to the Secret Service.

"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 explained. "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's comment about the Secret Service isn't the first time an Obama has said their children weren't fond of the Special Agents.

In 2018, the 45th President of the United States joked that his daughters had "PTSD" from being followed by men during some of their most vulnerable moments.

"First of all, them as teenagers having Secret Service guys follow them when they were going out on dates, I think probably has shut down their interest in public service," Barack said.

"They still have PTSD from guys talking into their wrist microphones and glasses as they're trying to go to a music concert," he continued.

Later, during her chat with Ripa, Michelle said that now that her children are older, her only focus is making sure they are prepared for what could come their way as the children of a former president.

"We call that the Obama tax for them," she said. "You'll have it the rest of your life, but you also have a lot of benefits."

Michelle continued, "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."

The "Becoming" author explained that she often reminds her daughters that the world is not about them. "This is just your dad's job," she said.

In 2022, Michelle spoke candidly about her relationship with her daughters while on a panel with other celebrity women and mothers, including Kelly Rowland and Tina Knowles.

She discussed the fine line between parenting and being a friend and emphasized why the former is most important.

"Once you decide you want your child to be your friend, now you're worried about them liking you, and there's so much of parenting that has nothing to do with them liking you," she said. "What you're gonna have to teach them is counter to what they want. With a friend, you want them happy all the time."

Michelle added, "Your kids have to learn how to live in their unhappiness, they have to learn how to live with unfairness, and they have to learn it in their house. Their first bout of unfairness can't be school or when they're 30."