Sasha and Malia Obama have a great relationship with their parents, Michelle and Barack Obama. Still, they've gone through their stages of difficulty, making the lives of their parents difficult, as every child does.
In a new episode of "IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson," Michelle Obama opened up about a moment where she raised kids with different personalities. In one of these episodes, she entered one of her "frustrated mommy time."
"I tell this story all the time about Malia and Sasha; they were probably 7 and 3 at the time," said Michelle. "And Barack was traveling. So I was at home trying to get the girls to bed. They were great kids, but this was one night that they were just being rambunctious."
"I was in my frustrated mommy time, and I said, 'Well, that's it,'" she continued. "'You know, no one listens to me. I'm done parenting. You seem like you guys have this all figured out, and you can do this on your own. So have at it.'"
Michelle's comments affected her daughters very differently, showcasing their different temperaments. "My oldest daughter, Malia, said, 'Oh no, mommy, you know, I can't do without you.' And this is what I'm thinking, 'Yeah, this is what I wanted.' I wanted her to realize that she needed me," Michelle continued. "So she immediately started taking off her clothes. And it's like, 'Mommy, no, I don't know what I could do without you.' "
Sasha's reaction was hilarious. "Sasha, my 3-year-old, was sitting on the stairs watching all this. She took her blankie, and she turned around and went back upstairs to watch TV, as if to say, like, 'thank God,'" said Michelle. "'At last, this is what I wanted from you, lady. I am 3. I can handle this. I'm going back upstairs.'"
Sasha Obama's independent nature
Over the years, Michelle Obama has opened up about Sasha's independent nature, especially when contrasted with Malia's attitude.
In a different episode of her podcast, she said, “When Malia was a teenager, it wasn’t that she was going out any less or doing anything differently. She would tell me, ‘I’m going out this weekend, but I’m going to go in and give dad like 15 minutes.’”
“Sasha is like a cat. She’s like, ‘Don’t touch me, don’t pet me. I’m not pleasing you. You come to me.'" It's all a part of Michelle's motto when it comes to parenting, with her usually encouraging parents to tailor their styles to each child, providing each of them with what they need.