Former first lady Michelle Obama said on “Call Her Daddy” on Wednesday that mothers should maintain their careers because children fail to appreciate their sacrifices.
The former first lady shares two young adult daughters, Malia and Sasha, with former President Barack Obama. She said on the podcast that she does not advise women to leave their “career track” because once their children are grown, they seek independence and disregard their mothers’ hard work.
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“Let’s be more honest about the struggle … 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,” the former first lady said. “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.”
“They’re like, ‘I remember you. I don’t need you anymore,’ right? 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 continued. “Because now what am I going to do? I devoted everything to you. And now I’ve got to fill my time. So I encourage people to hang in there and keep something for yourself throughout this process.”
However, she acknowledged that raising children could slow down women’s career trajectories and advised them to be patient and think long-term.
“Hey, look, if you live until you’re 80, 90, there’s so much time. And I tell people, look, I had to get off a track and take pay cuts and come back, sacrifice, ’cause my husband was president … But in the midst of that, I still manage to be a lawyer, run a nonprofit … be an author … raise really sane kids who, you know, aren’t perfect, but they’re really, really good,” the former first lady said. “So there is time, but we have to give ourselves a lot more grace in the process.”
The former first lady also complained about how challenging it was to be a woman in America during a July episode of “IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson.”
“Women, we have so many landmines, and barriers, and don’ts, and limitations … I think it’s important for all guys listening, especially men raising daughters, to realize that difference,” she said. “And inadvertently, as you are loving and raising these beautiful girls, there are so many rules that make us small.”
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