Michelle Obama has opened up about the strain of raising children at a time when former President Barack Obama launched his political career, and how it put a hefty weight on their marriage.
The former first lady revealed that she “could not stand” her husband for a decade, describing her experience as part of an interview promoting her new book, “The Light We Carry.”
“People think I’m being catty when I’m saying this: there were 10 years when I couldn’t stand my husband,” she said in a recent interview on the Revolt television network. “Guess when it happened? When those kids were little.”
Reflecting on her past, Mrs. Obama said the honeymoon phase ended once their two daughters, Sasha and Malia, were born. She described taking care of the girls, who were ages 7 and 10 when they moved into the White House in 2009, as trying to watch over “terrorists.”
“You start measuring, and it’s like, ’how many diapers did you change? Oh, you’re golfing? You had time to golf? How are you at the gym all the time?’” Mrs. Obama said. “Guess what? Little kids — they’re terrorists. They are. They have demands, they’re poor communicators, they cry all the time, they’re irrational, they’re needy. And you love them more than anything, so you can’t blame them.”
“You turn that ire on each other,” she said of her marriage with Mr. Obama. Their daughters are now ages 21 and 24.
But looking back, Mrs. Obama said she would take “10 bad years” in exchange for having the 30 years of marriage they’ve enjoyed.
“It’s just how you look at it, and people give up,” she said. “You got to know your person… but do you still look at them and go, ’I am not happy with you, but I respect you.’”
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
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