Michelle Obama Encourages Her Daughters To Speak Their Mind

Michelle Obama speaks often about she and President Barack Obama parent their two daughters, Malia and Sasha. While Michelle has recently revealed that her husband doesn’t like the girls viewing The Kardashians, she also told a roomful of Georgetown University students that she encourages her daughters to speak up whenever possible. I like this woman more and more.

The First Lady spoke about how when she was young girl, she was scared to attend prestigious Princeton University after coming from a public high school in Chicago. The future mother of two worried that she would not be as smart as the other pupils because they came from considerably more wealth and had attended more elite schools. Daily Mail reports that Michelle credits her work ethic for overcoming her fears, but also her loquacious nature:

“One of my strengths was that I had a big mouth, and I liked to talk a lot,” she said, adding that she now tells her own daughters not to be afraid to speak up.

Not that I would have expected any less from the First Lady, but defining the line between “bossy” little girls and simply opinionated ones still seems to be difficult for parents. Being outspoken about ideas and observations is still discouraged in young girls with words like “diva” and “bratty” often being used to describe those who exhibit strong preferences and sentiments. While misbehaving should not be conflated with outspokenness, it often is if you’re a little girl who has “a big mouth.” Fortunately, it looks as though the Obama girls have a mother who can distinguish between the two.

(photo: dailymail.co.uk)