“You Weren’t There!”: Moms Are Applauding Michelle Obama’s Brutally Honest Comments About Why She Doesn’t “Miss” Her Kids, But Barack Does
“That’s the difference between a mother and a father.”
If you can believe it, Michelle and Barack Obama’s two daughters are all grown up.
For context, Malia and Sasha Obama were aged 10 and 7, respectively, when their dad was elected president in 2008. And it wasn’t until 2017 that they eventually said goodbye to the White House.
Since then, the Obama girls have both enjoyed private lives away from the spotlight. Malia, now 28, graduated from Harvard in 2021 and seems to be pursuing a career in film, while Sasha, 25, graduated from USC with a degree in sociology in 2023.
Michelle occasionally gives updates on what the girls are doing, but it’s been reported that both Malia and Sasha are based in Los Angeles. And now, on the Aug. 26 episode of her IMO Podcast, their mom made a surprising revelation about life as an empty-nester.
“I don’t miss them. I don’t,” Michelle told her brother, Craig Robinson, and their guest, Jon Stewart, during a conversation about kids moving out. “I’m going to see them tonight for dinner. I love them, but Barack cried when they went to college, and I was like, ‘Bye… Goodbye!'”
Michelle has talked in the past about raising teens in the White House and the “nightmares” she and Barack experienced trying to ensure that Malia and Sasha’s teenage antics “didn’t wind up on Page Six.” And now that the girls are grown up and living independently, the former first lady said that her weekends are much more relaxed.
“Now, Friday nights aren’t wrecked with terror and fear about, ‘Where are you, where are you?'” she said with a laugh. “I love their emancipation and growth.”
Interestingly, Jon and Craig said that they both missed the “job” and “pattern” of having their kids at home, with Jon saying that it gave his life “meaning.” Michelle, on the other hand, said that she’s “good” without having to run around after her daughters.
“I’m good! Look at all this meaning I have,” she said, gesturing to the podcast studio around her. “I have a wonderful pattern. I love my schedule. I have a great schedule and it’s all mine.”
This specific clip from the podcast has gained a lot of traction online, with other mothers saying that Michelle’s honesty helps to “normalize” enjoying freedom as a mom.
Interestingly, people on both Reddit and TikTok felt that Jon and Craig’s views on the topic, in contrast with Michelle’s, reflected the differences between many moms’ and dads’ parenting experiences, and the “gendered division of labor” in heterosexual couples.
“I think this highlights how women do take on more of the mental workload of the scheduling and the attention that all that requires. Most men, I would be willing to bet are informed of their children’s schedules by the wives/mothers who is filtering in all the information from the outside world and plugging it into the calendar, the husband/father is usually just reading and following said calendar,” one Reddit user wrote. “It’s a sign of a healthy person that you have raised your children for the world and you can find the positive in change, in this instance having your schedule to yourself.”
In fact, Michelle pointed this out to Jon and Craig in the full conversation. “I think fathers can be that way,” she said in response to the men saying that they love and miss the “schedule” of having kids at home. “You weren’t there… You missed a lot of it! I mean, I’ve had so much quality time with my children. So much. I know them inside and out.”
Jon and Craig completely agreed with Michelle’s retort, and overall, most of the comments felt that her “healthy outlook” was a sign of “good parenting.” “I think the greatest joy of being a parent is watching them grow into their personhood, find their feet, and make it in the world,” one Reddit user wrote. “We’re always here for help, but it’s her life, we have our own lives too.”
