Barak Obama was sworn in yesterday as President of the United States, however with President Obama, not only comes the new First Lady Michelle Obama, but also the ‘First Daughters’. Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, have surely done well thus far in the public spotlight, and shadow of their father. Nonetheless what does the move to the White House means for them?
Life as the President's daughters will surely be an adjustment for both girls, and while the Obama's will seek to see that every opportunity of normalcy is kept, life for the Obama sisters will never be the same again. Malia and Sasha are not just the daughters of the US President, but role models for all of America's children, not to mention the world's children. That is one heavy burden for a 10 and 7 year-old, can they handle it?
Both Malia and Sasha were well poised as their father took his formal place on the historic day, and surely the girls have a clear grasp of the importance of not only the event, but their fathers ‘new job’. But will the pressure of their new town and role be too much for them? The Obama's will clearly shield the girls from much of the media hype and pressure; however it will be inevitable to shield them from all the public attention and interest. From this day forward the American youth, especially the minority community, will still look to the girls for inspiration, as Malia and Sasha will quite literally grow up before our eyes.
So far so good, as the girls have proven to not only be "normal', but also well mannered and studious, able to handle the press, and without a doubt they aim to make their parents proud. The girls biggest challenge going forward as the First Daughters, is to live up to public expectations and maintain their normalcy in spite of the constant public spotlight, and only time will really tell, and no child is perfect, but the support of their parents to keep life ‘normal’ will surely help keep the girls on the right track as they transform from children into teenagers in the White House.
