What We Didn't Know About Michelle Obama

2 years ago

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The Time Magazine cover story on First Lady Michelle Obama includes an interview that reveals some things we didn't know about her.

1. AS A KID, SHE HAD A "HARD TIME'' CONNECTING
"I had a hard time connecting to people that I didn't know as a young kid. I mean, the people who really moved me were the people that I knew in my life: my mother, the teachers that I had.

2. SHE IS INTO LIVING IN THE WHITE HOUSE
"I get so comfortable here that I forget that there are thousands of people coming in and out, right? So I'm walking Bo out here, and I'm like, O.K., let me take him out so I can eat lunch, and I come here for the interview. And we happen to walk past the gate where the visitors were coming, and I heard this "Yeaaaa! It's Bo!"

3. SHE IS NOT ANGRY ABOUT BEING PORTRAYED AS ANGRY DURING THE CAMPAIGN

"I think that today there is consistency and probably a depth to people's exposure to me. When you're in a campaign setting, there's just a narrow prism through which people see not just the wives, but the candidates themselves. That's why it never really bothered me."

4. SHE GOT UNEXPECTED ADVICE FROM FORMER FIRST LADIES

"Well, the most unexpected and uniform advice that I got was, 'Go to Camp David early and often' - universally, across the spectrum."

5. SHE THINKS THE FORMER FIRST LADY NETWORK IS "VERY COOL"

"I think there's a real camaraderie among First Ladies that I sense.... And I've gotten wonderful letters and phone calls and invitations to lunch, and it's just from every single former First Lady who is alive and can breathe - they've reached out. And my sense is that it's not just me; I think they do this because they know, experience when you've got children, that you need support. And that's very cool, I'd say.

6. SHE'S INTO NORMALACY

"There's a soccer game on - there's soccer on Saturdays. And we went in Chicago. We go to all their games - or I do, at least. So that makes you get out and be normal. There's parent-teacher conference, there's the play, there's the concert, there's the birthday party. You want to meet the person who's going to ... your kid is going to sleep over with. They want friends over, so you're arranging to make that happen. Kids force you into a normalcy.''

7. SHE SEES BARACK MORE THAN BEFORE

"We see each other every day. And that hasn't happened for most of the kids' lifetime," she tells Time.

8. SHE DOES NOT NAG ABOUT HOUSEHOLD CHORES ANYMORE

"That's off the table."

9. SHE SHARES BO DUTIES WITH THE PRESIDENT

"He does have Bo-walking duties. He does the last walk...Most days...That's usually right before bed, it's like 10:00 p.m. We sort of handle Bo like we did the kids. I'm the early-morning person, and he covers the - you know, once I go to bed I don't care what happens. Just make sure the dog doesn't have an accident."

10. SHE DOESN'T WANT A SAY

"We'll have conversations, and we'll share our opinions over the course of the conversation. But I don't want to have a say," she tells Time. "Really, there are a lot of times when I'm like, 'Don't tell me what happened today at work.' I just don't want to hear it, because I want the home space to really be free of that."

Filed Under: The Daily FLOTUS with Lynn Sweet

Tagged: first lady, FirstLady, michelle obama, MichelleObama, white house, WhiteHouse

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