Michelle Obama, 55, candidly spoke about dropping off her youngest daughter, Sasha Obama, 18, at the University of Michigan a few short months ago and revealed that her eldest, Malia Obama, 21, was on hand for a lot of help. During her Dec. 10 interview with Today‘s Jenna Bush-Hager in Vietnam, where the former First Lady is spotlighting her support for the education of young girls, Mrs. Obama revealed that she and her family, including former President Obama, 58, “we were really good about,” keeping the tears at a minimum. Of course, the past First Lady had some help, and knew just what to do, having sent Malia to Harvard University just a few years earlier.
Naturally, Mrs. Obama, her husband and eldest daughter “didn’t want to embarrass her [Sasha] because, y’know, she had roommates.” There was a major moment, however, that really hit the Becoming author, later that afternoon. “After lunch, when we said that final goodbye, when we got into a car — me and Barack and Malia, who was there with us — and then Sasha drove off on her own and said that last goodbye, that’s when we were like [crying noises].” Though the former First Lady is able to make light of the situation now, she is still looking forward to watching her girls come into their own.
The mother-of-two couldn’t help but gush about their future and potential, saying, “I’m excited for my girls to grow up and to become independent.” Of course, she also revealed the difficult part of watching her girls grow up, too. “But it is — you feel a little melancholy that they will never be the little ones that sit on your lap and listen to your every word and look at you adoringly. Those days are over.”
Watch part two of @MichelleObama’s interview with @jennabushhager about dropping her youngest daughter off at college, the 2020 election and her special friendship with former President George W. Bush.
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) December 10, 2019
While the Obamas have been an extraordinary American family, the former First Lady has been adamant about making major milestones as normal as possible. “Time just goes so fast,” she shared with People for the outlet’s People of the Year issue. “But like so many experiences in the last 10 years, we wanted to make it feel as normal as possible, given our family’s circumstances.” Much like Mrs. Obama, we cannot wait to see the exceptional young women Malia and Sasha grow up to be!
