The Most Difficult Part Of Parenting Sasha And Malia, According To Barack Obama

Former President Barack Obama and Former First Lady Michelle Obama have always been refreshingly open about the highs and lows of raising their two daughters, Malia and Sasha Obama, in the public eye. During a November 2024 appearance on the "Pivot" podcast, Barack explained how Malia and Sasha's head-turning transformations into full-grown adults had ushered in a new era in their lives as parents. "The challenge for us is letting us give them any help at all," the bestselling author admitted. "They're very sensitive about this stuff. They're very stubborn about it." 

For instance, Malia didn't want to cash in on her famous last name when she released "The Heart," her directorial debut short film, so she ended up listing herself as "Malia Ann" in the credits. While her father reminded Malia that people would know a former first daughter had directed the movie regardless of whether she included her surname, Malia stuck to her guns because she didn't want people to have preconceived notions going into it. Malia and Sasha couldn't really stand fame, so they were infuriated by being constantly hounded by the paparazzi in Washington. 

In fact, the former first daughters have strived to be just like average young adults basically since the first moment they stepped out the gates of the White House. In 2018, the Boston Herald reported that Sasha had spent her summer vacation serving up seafood at a local restaurant in Martha's Vineyard. The younger Obama sister worked several 4-hour shifts where she manned the register and lent a helping hand to the pre-lunch prep.

Elsewhere on Barack Obama's appearance on the "Pivot" podcast, he shared that before he began his bid for the Oval Office, the ambitious politician sat down with Michelle Obama to discuss how the spotlight could negatively impact young Malia and Sasha Obama's sweet personalities. When the couple was interviewed by People in 2009, they revealed that they intentionally kept their daughters away from campaign events because they didn't want them to get a warped view of reality. Although the crowd enjoyed seeing Sasha at a Fourth of July event and even sang "Happy Birthday" to her, Michelle asserted, "Everybody loves the kids so they get special treatment. That's nice for a day or two, but they need to go back home, just so they realize that this isn't life." As a result, it's unsurprising that the Obamas created a sense of normalcy for their daughters simply by leading by example. 

In his 2020 memoir, "The Promised Land," Barack recalled how he volunteered to informally coach Sasha's school basketball team, the Vipers. The president somehow managed to carve time out of his jam-packed schedule to teach Sasha and her teammates the basics of the game. Barack had a total blast training the group because it made him feel like a regular dad while he also got to spend some much-needed quality time with his daughter. Unfortunately, the two-time president's stint didn't as a basketball coach didn't last too long because the other parents complained that it was unfair for him to coach just the one team, and Barack ultimately had to step down from the position.