For Obama girls in White House, computer use is for homework only
Source: AFP |
January 18, 2013, Friday
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THE Obama girls have quietly made a mark of their own: shielded from public over-exposure, they are growing up with rules and responsibilities and making it look easy, even though they live in the White House.
Malia and Sasha Obama were 10 and seven respectively when they followed their father Barack Obama into the White House, which after his re-election will remain their home for another four years.
"I am pleasantly surprised at how normal they are," their mother Michelle Obama said in a recent ABC News television interview.
"I did worry what this life would be like for them - could I keep them normal, could we instill in them the values that we learned growing up: humility and decency and treating people with respect," she said.
"They are wonderful young women. We are so proud. They are level-headed, they work hard, they care about people. They are good solid kids."
Malia now at 14, is almost as tall as her father, while Sasha, 11, often appears smiling with her dad's arm lovingly around her.
Their parents routinely rave about, but jealously guard their privacy, a task made easier by a willingness among American news media to keep the spotlight of publicity well away from the girls.
For the past four years they have only appeared before the cameras when their parents were present - at the lighting of the national Christmas tree, for instance, or on stage at the Democratic convention, or boarding or disembarking from Air Force One.
Under constant Secret Service escort, they attend the private Sidwell Friends school. The school, with Quaker roots and little in common with Washington's struggling and much-berated public schools, charges nearly US$35,000 a year for tuition and a daily hot lunch, according to its website.
Outside of class, Malia plays tennis and Sasha basketball. Neither is known to be on Facebook, but they have slept over at friends' houses, gone to summer camp and competed in athletic events.
They also both like Beyonce, who will sing the National Anthem at next Monday's public inauguration of Obama's second term.
Lately, in terms of fashion, the younger Obamas - perhaps taking cues from their mother, a national fashion icon - have revealed a penchant for belts, cardigans and flared skirts.
Despite living in stately splendor, Malia and Sasha are, according to their mother, still expected to make their beds and tidy their rooms before heading off to school.
Television is off-limits on weekdays, when they can only use computers for homework.
At the dinner table, said Michelle Obama, who campaigns against childhood obesity, "the girls have to eat their vegetables, and if they say that they are not hungry, they cannot ask for cookies or chips later."
"From all outward appearances, the president and first lady have done an extraordinary job of parenting in a difficult position," said Doug Wead, author of several books about presidential families.
Obama recently told Newsweek: "Now, I worry about them when they're teenagers ... and dating I think will be an issue because I have men with guns surrounding them at all times."
Malia and Sasha Obama were 10 and seven respectively when they followed their father Barack Obama into the White House, which after his re-election will remain their home for another four years.
"I am pleasantly surprised at how normal they are," their mother Michelle Obama said in a recent ABC News television interview.
"I did worry what this life would be like for them - could I keep them normal, could we instill in them the values that we learned growing up: humility and decency and treating people with respect," she said.
"They are wonderful young women. We are so proud. They are level-headed, they work hard, they care about people. They are good solid kids."
Malia now at 14, is almost as tall as her father, while Sasha, 11, often appears smiling with her dad's arm lovingly around her.
Their parents routinely rave about, but jealously guard their privacy, a task made easier by a willingness among American news media to keep the spotlight of publicity well away from the girls.
For the past four years they have only appeared before the cameras when their parents were present - at the lighting of the national Christmas tree, for instance, or on stage at the Democratic convention, or boarding or disembarking from Air Force One.
Under constant Secret Service escort, they attend the private Sidwell Friends school. The school, with Quaker roots and little in common with Washington's struggling and much-berated public schools, charges nearly US$35,000 a year for tuition and a daily hot lunch, according to its website.
Outside of class, Malia plays tennis and Sasha basketball. Neither is known to be on Facebook, but they have slept over at friends' houses, gone to summer camp and competed in athletic events.
They also both like Beyonce, who will sing the National Anthem at next Monday's public inauguration of Obama's second term.
Lately, in terms of fashion, the younger Obamas - perhaps taking cues from their mother, a national fashion icon - have revealed a penchant for belts, cardigans and flared skirts.
Despite living in stately splendor, Malia and Sasha are, according to their mother, still expected to make their beds and tidy their rooms before heading off to school.
Television is off-limits on weekdays, when they can only use computers for homework.
At the dinner table, said Michelle Obama, who campaigns against childhood obesity, "the girls have to eat their vegetables, and if they say that they are not hungry, they cannot ask for cookies or chips later."
"From all outward appearances, the president and first lady have done an extraordinary job of parenting in a difficult position," said Doug Wead, author of several books about presidential families.
Obama recently told Newsweek: "Now, I worry about them when they're teenagers ... and dating I think will be an issue because I have men with guns surrounding them at all times."
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