The First Family is making their rounds as they prepare to leave the White House for good, so of course FLOTUS had to stop by the Ellen Degeneres Show for a quick chat.
Per usual, FLOTUS appeared at ease and naturally fabulous as she opened up about raising her children in the White House, what the family will miss most, being the first African-American First Lady and more.
Speaking on what they’ll miss most when all is said and done, FLOTUS says it’s the White House staff who have helped guide their family for eight years.
“Think about it: The girls have grown up in the White House. I mean, the staff that’s there—we see them every day,” she told Ellen. “These are people who have helped us raise our kids. They’ve loved us. They’ve taken care of us. The minute we leave, that’s it.”
Although her teen daughters Sasha and Malia are well aware that their time in the White House is almost up, Mrs. Obama shared that she anticipates it being more difficult than they think to say goodbye in January. “I’m sure the girls will have a tough time,” she added.
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“They think they’re ready, but when you’ve grown up in a place…I mean, imagine: They won’t be able to knock on a door and say, ‘Can I see my room?’ That’s not gonna happen. We’re trying to have them step back and really appreciate the walk on the South
Lawn, sitting on the Truman Balcony. I mean, we just want to keep creating some memories for them as well.”
The First Lady smiled as she sang both of her daughters’ well-deserved praises and spoke about how proud she is of the way they’ve handled the process of becoming young women with the world watching.
“I’m proud of them they’ve really managed this so well,” she continued.
“I mean, I just love them to death and the big thing I’ve always worried about was making sure that they got out of this whole. I’m just proud that they are poised, smart, intelligent young women.”
While the FLOTUS made it a point early on in her husband’s presidency to not be known as a “political spouse,” she says she’s taken great pride in her position as First Lady over the years.
Her “Let’s Move” campaign and “Let Girls Learn” initiative are just two ways of many in which she has demonstrated her genuine concern for the well being of the nation’s women and young people — a cause near and dear to her heart.
“I wasn’t the political spouse. I was very hesitant about this, but it’s truly been an honor to serve, to travel this country, to meet so many great people,” she said. “I have so much hope for this nation and I hope that everybody else does, too. We have some great young people. We’ve got great communities.”
Noting that the pressure associated with being First Lady of the United States was something all first ladies have in common, she also acknowledged the unique significance of her own legacy as the country’s first African-American woman to hold the position.
“I wouldn’t dare to compare my experience to any former First Lady, but I do take the role seriously,” she said.
“As I said in my convention speech, I know that kids are watching us, they’re watching what we say, what we do, and Barack and I have tried to make sure that what kids are seeing is something that they can be proud of because it matters.”