Former First Lady Michelle Obama offered advice to mothers: Do not sideline your professional ambitions for your children, because they likely won’t appreciate the sacrifice once they leave the nest.
During a Wednesday appearance on the popular Call Her Daddy podcast, Obama urged women to “save something” for themselves, painting a grim picture of the empty-nest phase where children move on and disregard the years of maternal effort.
“I am constantly telling young mothers it’s coming. You don’t have to get off your career track. And I don’t even recommend it,” Obama told host Alex Cooper. “Because kids grow up fast. And then they’re gone. You’ve sacrificed everything. And you know, when they leave, they leave. They close the door and act like you never sacrificed.”
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The former First Lady, who shares daughters Malia and Sasha with former President Barack Obama, warned that relying solely on motherhood for fulfillment is a risky bet. She described the transition of children becoming independent adults as a moment where they essentially tell their parents, “I don’t need you anymore.”
“So I’m like, you better have saved something for yourself so that when that period comes and they’re ready to move on, and you’re also not holding on longer,” she explained. “Because now what am I going to do? I devoted everything to you. And now I’ve got to fill my time.”
While she conceded that balancing work and family often requires patience—noting she had to take pay cuts and career detours while her husband ascended to the presidency—she emphasized that women must give themselves “grace” while maintaining their own identity. She pointed to her own résumé, which includes working as a lawyer, running a nonprofit, and becoming a best-selling author, as proof that professional life can coexist with raising “sane” children.
Blaming Sexism for Democratic Losses
Beyond her advice on parenting, Obama also waded into the political arena, suggesting that deep-seated sexism in America was responsible for recent Democratic defeats—and even her own husband’s victory over Hillary Clinton in 2008.
Despite Barack Obama often being hailed as a charismatic generational talent, the former First Lady argued that Clinton, arguably the more seasoned candidate at the time, lost the 2008 Democratic primary because voters were uncomfortable with a woman in charge.
“Let’s look at the fact that we’ve had two really qualified female candidates,” she said, referencing Clinton and Vice President Kamala Harris. “One who was first lady, secretary of state, well educated … my husband beat her. People were more comfortable with him as a newcomer.”
She asserted that male voters specifically were the hurdle. “There are men out there that were not going to vote for a woman. People have had those conversations. Let’s just be real about it,” she said.
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Obama extended this theory to the 2024 election cycle, implying that Kamala Harris faced similar unfair standards. “If they’re not perfect and they don’t cross every T and dot every I, there’s a falling shortness that is happening … why can’t we talk about that?”
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