Michelle Obama says she didn't want to 'embarrass' Sasha while dropping her off at college
Michelle Obama is feeling the sadness of an empty nest, but a mother's mothering is never done.
The former first lady appeared on the "Today" show in an interview with Jenna Bush Hager to talk about her trip to Vietnam alongside actress Julia Roberts to raise awareness for girls' education.
Like any proud mom, she also spoke about her own daughters and dropping her youngest, Sasha, off at college.
"Were there tears?" Bush Hager asked.
"There were. We were really good about it, you know, we didn't want to embarrass her because she had roommates," Obama said, but added that it was at the end when tears came for her, Barack and sister Malia.
“We were really good about it. You know, we didn’t want to embarrass her because she had roommates.” @MichelleObama talks about the emotional moment of dropping off her youngest daughter, Sasha, at college pic.twitter.com/20Nhm7Pg7l
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) December 10, 2019
"When we got into a car ... and then Sasha drove off on her own and said that last goodbye, that's when we were like (crying noises)."
Obama then perfectly summed up parenting and letting go of growing children.
"I'm excited for my girls to grow up and become independent, but you feel a little melancholy that they will never be the little ones that sit on your lap and listen to your every word and look at you adoringly. Those days are over," she said.
Obama recently shared a family photo that showed a grown-up Malia, 21, and Sasha, 18. The famous daughters entered the White House at ages 10 and 7, respectively, so their mature looks caught people's attention. The Obamas dropped Malia off at college in 2017.
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From our family to yours, #HappyThanksgiving!
A post shared by Michelle Obama (@michelleobama) on Nov 27, 2019 at 2:29pm PST
Obama told "Today" her daughters helped inspire her to be a voice for girls in Vietnam and girls' education.
"They're compassionate. They're smart. They're everything that I see in the girls that are here in Vietnam and around the world," she said. "I mean, that is one of the reasons I am so passionate about girls' education, because I see myself, I see my daughters in these girls. They are no different."
Contributing: Cydney Henderson
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michelle Obama talks her daughters growing up: 'A little melancholy'
