Barack Obama says he 'didn't appreciate' the stress Michelle faced while raising their daughters in White House
WASHINGTON, DC: Former president Barack Obama said he did not like the amount of hassle and tension his wife had to endure while looking after their two daughters in the White House. This comes after Michelle Obama said last year that she could not tolerate her husband for 10 years while their daughters, Maria and Sasha were young.
While speaking to CBS, Barack Obama detailed how he bounced back from his marital troubles. "It sure helps to be about of the White House, and to have a little more time with her," he said. "What also helps though, about children, Michelle when our girls were growing up that was priority one, two, three, and four."
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'She is a little more forgiving of my flaws'
The 61-year-old continued, "And so I didn't appreciate, as engaged as a father as I was, the degree of stress and tension for her. Knowing that not just me and Michelle were under scrutiny and in this strange environment, but we were raising our daughters in a kind of situation that just wasn't normal. Now that they're doing good, she is a little more forgiving of my flaws." Barack said that his wife has since told him, "Looking back you did ok as a dad." The 44th president of the United States added, "And if I pass that test, she will forgive me most of my other foibles."
What did Michelle Obama say last year?
"People think I'm being catty for saying this: it's like, there were 10 years where I couldn't stand my husband", Michelle told Revolt in early December last year. "And guess when it happened? When those kids were little. For 10 years, while we're trying to build our careers and worrying about school and who was doing what and what, I was like, 'Argh, this isn't even'."
She continued, "And guess what? Marriage isn't 50/50, ever. Ever. There are times I'm 70, he's 30. There are times he's 60, 40. But guess what? Ten years. We've been married for 30. I would take 10 bad years over 30 — it's just how you look at it. People give up — 'Five years; I can't take it'."
After several years on the campaign trail, Malia, 24, and Sasha, 21, were seven and 10 when their family moved into the White House. The couple has spoken frankly about the struggles they had to undergo in their marriage. Michelle has described the 'resentment' she had while sacrificing her own career to be the mother of their two children while Barack's career skyrocketed, making him the president of the country. Michelle's tensity only increased over the years during that time despite publicly acknowledging the fact that she wanted to do nothing with the limelight.
Barack and Michelle Obama's love story
In 1989 the duo first came across each other when they both worked at a law firm in Chicago. It was a love at first sight for the future president but Michelle did not seem to be interested. Barack did not give up on her even after he was turned down multiple times and when she decided to give him a chance at last, it took only a short while for both of them to fall in love with each other.
Barack and Michelle tied the knot in 1992 and welcomed their first child Malia, six years later and after two years, their second daughter, Sasha. However, it was later revealed, that having children almost tore their entire relationship apart, as Michelle was stuck taking responsibility for her children all alone while her husband who was an aspiring politician at the time would commute on a six-hour round trip to work at the Illinois Senate. He sometimes even had to spend days out of his home for his job.
For many years, the duo's relationship was riddled with late-night arguments and fierce fights with Barack recalling that once an exhausted Michelle told him, "This isn’t what I signed up for, Barack. I feel like I’m doing it all by myself."
Michelle Obama didn't want to be a part of Barack Obama's political world
While Barack slowly made his way up in the US government, Michelle clearly stated to him that she wanted no part of the 'messy' political world or the 'exposure' that came with it in her family. After he decided to run for Senate, she said, "Don’t expect me to do any campaigning. In fact, you shouldn’t even count on my vote."
