Michelle Obama praises Barack Obama's parenting despite the 'grandeur' of his job
Former first lady Michelle Obama shared it took a special effort to remain down-to-earth while parenting in the White House during her podcast on Wednesday.
"And it took a mighty effort to leave the grandeur at the door and to just be there and talk about fifth grade," Obama said in a conversation with Bruce Springsteen on the latest episode of her podcast "IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson," which she co-hosts with her brother.
Michelle Obama praised her husband, former President Barack Obama, for being a good parent despite the "grandeur" of his job.
"I think Barack is just like you as a tremendous father, doing it in a lot of grandeur, right," Obama told Springsteen. "Yeah, you're the commander in chief of the United States of America. And so finding that balance of, you know, when you've got the nuclear code in your grasp and world leaders calling you and big, important, heavy decisions coming at you every day and valets and aides and on and on, and security, and oh, it's just all grandeur."
She added that it was "important" that both she and her husband were present to their daughters, Sasha, who recently turned 24, and Malia, 26.
"Trying to wipe all that stuff away and leave it at the door before he would enter the residence of the White House to sit at a dinner table with his two daughters and only talk about them. It was important for both of us, for me and Barack, to carve out that time in those eight years when our girls were in their formative years, you know," Obama said.
Springsteen, who recently released a six-track digital extended play (EP) which included songs that were critical of President Donald Trump's administration, agreed with Obama that it can be a challenge to stay grounded.
"Even in my job, you know, it's like, hey, you're on the road, you are the king," Springsteen said. "You go home, hey you're the chauffeur. You know, making that transition can be funny, you know, and everybody has some version of that, that you need to transition into your domestic life and to be able to transition into their domestic life, and to understand who you are there and to identify."
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