Michelle Obama says at this point in her life, she’s learning to embrace the “messy” and “more complicated” parts of life, rather than project an image of perfection.
“Every time we pick up our phones, we see images of families that just look too perfect,” the former first lady said in an interview with Parents magazine for its Next Gen Awards issue released Tuesday.
“It makes you think everyone is doing better than you,” said Obama, who shares 27-year-old daughter Malia and 24-year-old Sasha with former President Obama.
“And that’s just not reflective of reality,” she added.
“It’s so easy for us to curl up into this protective instinct and not talk about the messy or more complicated bits of our lives,” Obama, who launched her “IMO” podcast with her brother, Craig Robinson, in March, told the magazine.
“It can feel dangerous to expose those imperfect parts of ourselves. But over the years, I have learned that it’s really the opposite,” she said.
The “Becoming” author offered some words of encouragement for parents, saying, “Each of us has our own style when it comes to raising kids.”
“So if you’re doing something different than your friends and neighbors, that’s OK,” Obama, 61, said.
“Just like our kids, we’re going to have times where we succeed and times when we fail. That’s a part of the journey. We have to recognize that, and give ourselves — and each other — a little grace along the way,” she said.
“When we realize that and learn each other’s stories, it makes living life, as well as raising kids, so much easier.”
