The First Lady is first and foremost a mom. And the good old-fashioned kind at that.
In a recent interview with Parenting Magazine, the U.S. President's wife Michelle Obama dished on all things parenting. For someone who lives in the White House, her views were reassuringly traditional, heavily rooted in old-fashioned values like community.
In the age of ME, Mrs Obama stresses the need to put others first. "I tell my kids that you have to practice who you want to be every day,” said the First Lady. “You won’t wake up in twenty years and become a compassionate person if you’re not practicing that along the way.”
Incredibly, the Obamas still manage to practice what they preach, staying involved in their kids' lives, no matter how tight their schedule. “You know, we go to all the important school functions,” she says. “At least one of us is there. It's important to get to know their friends and teachers and to understand what they're going through on a daily basis."
At Thanksgiving, the Obamas make sure to do some form of community service before sitting down for a turkey dinner. And the First Lady is big on the idea of eating together as a family, and eating right. That's why she started Let's Move, an initiative aimed at combating childhood obesity. But she's also a realist.
“I think it's the simple things that hold true regardless of income or location: eliminating sugary drinks, cooking a little bit more,” she says. “It's hard to do. I struggled with it as a working mom myself. But thinking about it once or twice a week even, sitting around a table, getting to know our kids more, is a good thing.”
With so much pressure on girls today, Michelle Obama is a shining example of how to be a strong, confident woman. Her daughters are lucky to have such a role model at home. We need more outspoken women like her, in the media and in the government.
“Barack and I always tell our girls that you can be smart, you can be beautiful, but if you don’t know how to treat people, if you don’t walk into a room and say hello, if you don’t say thank you, if you’re not looking out for the girl who’s sitting alone by herself, then who are you?”
Do you agree with the First Lady's values? What advice would you give today's young women?
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