The First Lady:
Hey, how is everybody doing? Audience:
Good! The First Lady:
That's good. Well, welcome to
the White House. How many guys -- of you guys
have done this -- did you do this last year? That's good. So we're going to make this much
more informal than we did last year. I mean, in the last year
I talked a little bit, and then you got to ask
questions, but the truth is, is that it's more interesting to
talk and answer your questions. So we're going to do that today. But let me just
welcome you all today. This is an important day for all
of us because your parents spend so much time here helping
me and the President, and we know that a lot of times
they do it because you all make the sacrifices to be here. You guys are helping us just
as much as your parents are. So first of all I just
want to say thank you. Thank you for being patient and
making sure that you're doing what you're supposed to do at
home so that your parents can do what they need to do here. Sit down, Bo. So let's just start. Do
you guys have questions? Why don't we start
with questions. All right, you in the front. Child:
Do you like living
in the White House? The First Lady:
The question is: Do I like
living in the White House? And yes, it's fun living
in the White House. (Bo barks) (laughter) Bo likes it, too. Bo likes living in
the White House, too. Some of the most fun parts about
living in the White House is getting to share the
house with so many people. I mean, we have thousands of
people who come here every month just to visit, and it's really
fun to meet a lot of people and to make sure that they feel like
this house is special for them, and to share it
with everybody else. So it's been a lot of fun. There are a lot of
good things about it. All right, let's get a hand. You, young man,
in the blue shirt. Yes, you, blue shirt. Child:
How does it feel -- The First Lady:
We've got a mic. Do we have a mic, too, so that
everybody can hear your question? Child:
How does it feel
being the First Lady? The First Lady:
How does it feel
being the First Lady? I think it feels like
being me, you know? You don't change as a person
just because you have a different job, you know? So what's your name? Child:
Isaiah. The First Lady:
Isaiah. So you know how you
feel, Isaiah, right? And you feel that way whether
you're at home or at school or at the park or whether
you're with your friends. It's like you're
always Isaiah, right? So I think I feel
the same way, too. I still feel like who
I am; that, you know, I got to take care of my
kids and I want to do a good job as First Lady. I want to make sure that I'm
making my country proud. But I still feel like me.
Does that make sense? All right. All right, in the aqua
blue, pigtails, hands up. Child:
Since it's Earth Day
today, what are you doing? The First Lady:
Say that again? Child:
What are you doing
for Earth Day? The First Lady:
For Earth Day. Oh, I think we're having
a reception this evening. Sometimes it's hard for me to
keep up with all the things that we're doing. There's a reception here
this evening for Earth Day. And Sasha brought home some
energy-efficient bulbs that we have to put in the house. So we're going to do
some bulb replacement. All right? All right,
you right there. Child:
Do you miss Chicago? The First Lady:
You know, the question, do I miss Chicago -- yeah,
there are some things that I miss about Chicago. I miss -- but I think the things
that I miss about Chicago are the things that I
would miss anywhere. And one of the things that the
President and I can't do is sort of just walk down the street
by ourselves, you know? We can't just leave the house
and walk by ourselves because we always have security and we have
to make sure that we got a lot of people with us. And I think that the thing I
miss in Chicago is like being able to walk out of my house and
go down on the lake and ride my bike -- but I can't
do that here, either. So what I tell my girls is that
if there's a reason why -- if there's something that
I miss about Chicago, it would be my family -- and
everybody is here with me. So it makes it a lot easier to
adjust because all the people that I love are
still right here. And we have Bo, and we
didn't have Bo in Chicago. All right. In the
orange and white -- yes. Child:
What do you think are the
leading causes of obesity in America? The First Lady:
Okay, this is a -- you
want to ask that question in the mic again? Child:
What do you think are the
leading causes of obesity in America? The First Lady:
That's a very astute question. (laughter) And you definitely read my bio
and you know what my issues are. (laughter) It's a good thing.
It's a good thing. You know, I think there are a
lot of things that cause obesity. I think it's the
lifestyle we live. I think a lot of kids these days
spend a lot of time in front of the TV set and on the computer. And when we were young we didn't
have 120 channels that were on 24 hours a day and we didn't have
the Internet and computer games. So when we were little, we had
to -- when you were bored, you had to go outside and play. A lot of kids don't -- are
driving to school or they take a bus to school. So I think that we're just
getting less exercise. And people say that we
snack way too much, right, that there are a lot of snacks
out there, especially for kids. You guys -- they say the average
kid has about five snacks a day or something like that. And if you -- Child:
(inaudible) The First Lady:
How many do you have? Child:
Two. The First Lady:
You have two. That's good. (laughter) That's on average. So somebody out there is
having a lot more than two. (Bo barks) Come here, Bo. Come here, Bo. Come here, Bo. And I think that we have to make
sure that we eat in a balanced way. It's, like, you can't live life
without vegetables, right? You got to have
vegetables, right, Bo? Yes, you do! So I think there
are a lot of things. And we have to make sure that
our parents have -- parents have good information about what
foods are good for kids, what snacks are healthy and how
much -- how large of a portion size we should have. So I think it's a lot of stuff. That's why with the initiative
we've got -- we're asking everybody to be involved in
figuring out what we can do to make things better. But thank you for that question. All right, let's get
somebody way in the back, in the maroon sweater. We've got time. We've got time. (laughter) Child:
Is it hard for you and your
family to spend time together? The First Lady:
You know -- (Bo barks)
actually, it is not. I know, I see you. It's easier now than it was
because the President's office is -- where are we --
it's over there somewhere. (laughter) So it's real close,
and we live upstairs. So it's very easy for us to,
when we're working -- like, I can come down from
the house and work. And a lot of your parents,
they have a commute, they have to get on a train,
and they have to come here. So there's a lot of flexibility. So we make sure that we're at
home when the kids get home and that we have dinner together and
that we spend some time over the weekends together. And it's been a lot easier than
I would have thought for us to spend time together as a family. All right, you. (laughter) Child:
What school does your kids go to? The First Lady:
They go to a school
called Sidwell Friends and it's in Washington, D.C.,
but there's also the lower school that's in Bethesda, so
it's two different buildings. Have you heard of that school? (Bo barks) (laughter) Oh, what a clown. Shh, quiet! (laughter) All right, let's get
another question. Let's get another question, Bo. All right, who's next?
We didn't do this side. Let's do you, right here on
the edge in the light blue. Child:
What inspired you to become
so involved in child obesity? The First Lady:
You know, it was just
watching how children's diets and habits change. Then I saw it in my household,
just how easy it was with schedules being as
busy as they are, and parents working
a lot of hours. And we get into the habit of
giving you guys what's easy sometimes, Mac and
Cheese every night, and driving through the drive-thru
a little bit too much. And time is just short. And I noticed it in
my own household. And I thought, well, if I'm
having these kind of challenges, it must be hard for the average
family who doesn't have a lot of resources and things like that. So, you know, I think being a
mom and seeing my own kids. (Bo barks) What? I know, I know. (laughter) All right, right there. Child:
When you were a
kid, did you ever, like dream of becoming
the First Lady? The First Lady:
You know, no, I didn't. When I was a little kid,
I probably had dreams like most little kids. For a second I wanted to be a
pediatrician because I liked kids. I never wanted to be a vet. (laughter) Then, after I went to college,
I wanted to be an attorney, and I practiced for a while. But no, as a matter
of fact, I mean, the notion of being First Lady
of the United States -- there had never been anybody of
my race who had been here. (Bo barks) I know, I know. All right, you're
going to have to go. You ready to go?
Are you ready to go? Audience:
No! The First Lady:
All right, you
want to go say hi? You want to say hi? Audience:
Yes! The First Lady:
All right, I'll make sure
he can come over there, too. So I'll let him get his
energy out with you guys. (cross walk) All right, he's in play mode. So we're going to -- I'm
going to take him out, and then we're going to -- I'm
going to let him come back in. All right, let's go. Come on, let's go.
Let's go outside. All right, I'll make sure to
bring him back in when we're done, and then everybody can
get a chance to say hello. All right, take
him out, Kristen, so that he can get some running. All right. We'll bring him back in.
We'll bring him back in. And I'll make sure everybody
gets a chance to pet him. All right. Yes! Yay, for Bo. We'll bring him back in. So did that answer
your question? All right, good. Okay. Let's see, you in the gray
hoodie on the end -- you who just turned around. Child:
What are you
growing in your garden? The First Lady:
Oh, gosh, a lot of things.
Lots of vegetables. I think we've got a lot
of greens, lettuces, we've got lots of herbs, almost
every kind of herb -- garlic, thyme, rosemary,
all that good stuff. We've got some peas. We've got a beehive so we've
got honey growing out there. We've got some
berries, some rhubarb. Have you guys ever
had rhubarb pie? Audience:
Yes. The First Lady:
Yes. Well, rhubarb, it sort
of looks like lettuce, or celery in a sense, but it
tastes really sweet like strawberries. You can mix it with strawberries
so it's a good fruit dessert. We've got some
broccoli, some spinach. We had spinach last night
for dinner from the garden. It was really sweet. So we're growing all kinds
of vegetables and fruit. And I think you guys are going to
get a chance to go see a garden. Is that true? Is
that part of the tour? Audience:
Yes. The First Lady:
All right. So that's good. So you'll let me know
how it's coming, right? Okay. All right, sounds good. Child:
What type of breed is Bo? The First Lady:
Okay. So what type of breed is Bo? What kind of dog is he? He's a Portuguese Water Dog.
Yeah, and they love to swim. And at first he didn't always
want to swim -- we had to teach him how to swim -- but now he
loves the water and he gets in the water any chance he can get. And they're sort
of retrieval dogs. They were used to pull boats and
to do things with fishermen. So he's a very active dog and
it's important to keep him running and playing. So now is sort of
like his busy time, so he was getting
a little bored. There are some parts of the day
when he's just sort of quiet and sleepy because he's
run around a lot, but with dogs like
Bo they like to play, you got to keep them running. And there are some dogs
that are more lap dogs. Well, he's a running,
playing kind of dog. So you got to make sure you
give him a lot of exercise. And he was a gift
from a friend of ours, a very important and famous
senator, Senator Ted Kennedy, who recently passed. And his favorite breed of dogs
were Portuguese Water Dogs. And when he found out that
we were looking for a dog, he gave us Bo. He helped us adopt Bo. So Bo is special not just
because he's a special dog, but he was a gift from
a very special friend. (Bo barks) Yes! (laughter) That is correct. All right, let's see, let's
see. Purple in the middle. Child:
Does Bo bite? (laughter) The First Lady:
Yes. But, you know --
oh, did he bite you? (laughter) Well, what he does is like
-- Bo is not like biting, I'm going to bite
you, but he's playful. He's like -- does anybody
have a baby brother, somebody who's teething? He's beyond teething, but dogs
play and they like to mouth and they like to have
things in their mouth. And that's the kind
of playing he does. And you've got to really train
him to make sure that he -- like what we do is we put our hands
in his mouth so that he knows how hard to bite on a human,
because playing with a dog and playing with Sasha and Malia
are two different things. So you're always sort of making
sure that he knows that mouthing is soft when it comes to
people and skin, right? So he gets playful. That's why it's important for
him to get exercise before he sees everybody, because
he might think, oh, you guys are puppies and we're
playing and I'm going to -- you know, I'm going to start
mouthing on your arm. Well, he's got to be calm and
know this is visitor time and all that good stuff, because
he's just as excited to see you as you are to see him. All right, young lady in the navy
blue on the end right here. Yes. Child:
What is your favorite
health food to eat? The First Lady:
My favorite health food --
hmmm. I have a lot of them. Some of my favorite vegetables
are spinach, broccoli, those are big in my household. A good snack are -- some of the
sort of power bars that they have that -- some
of them are nutty, but some of them are
kind of chocolaty, too, but they have good calorie
balance in them and if you need a good snack in the
middle of the day, sometimes those are fun and
they make you think like you're having candy, and you're not. So -- but it's good food. And I love juices, as much
as I can get, fresh juices. Does that help? All
right, I'll come over here. All right, gentleman in
the blue striped shirt, please stand in the middle. Yes, you. Child:
How is the obesity cure going? The First Lady:
How's that going,
that cure thing? (laughter) Yeah, yeah, well, we haven't
quite solved it yet -- (laughter) -- but we're on our way. There are some people who think
that -- some scientists who say that the link to
obesity is genetic, like it's something
that you're born with. But what we're trying to
figure out is how do we change behavior, particularly in
kids, to just teach them different habits, right? So my theory is that kids can
learn to love vegetables just as much as they can learn
to love the taste of candy. I truly believe that. You may not agree, but I think
that if you guys are eating healthy things on a regular
basis, you start to like them, and you start making choices
about a snack so that instead of a snack being a piece of candy,
a good snack could be a nice bunch of grapes. Right? How many
people like grapes? So that's one of
those learned things. So instead of saying,
Mom, Mom, I'm hungry, can I have a bag of chips? You'll say, Mom,
Mom, I'm hungry, can I have a bunch of grapes? And if you say that I guarantee
you she'll say yes every single time, and they'll
be just as good. So if we start teaching
different habits, if you guys ask for
different things, then eventually that will
help with your health. And if you're moving
and exercising, that will make you healthy and
that will help cure the -- solve the problem of obesity. But we've got a lot of work to
do and we're going to need all of you to help us do it. All right, you,
right in the front. I know, I know, we're going to
try to get to as many people as we can, as quickly as we can. Child:
What's your favorite
room in the White House? The First Lady:
My favorite room is
actually the Blue Room. Did you walk past it? It's
oval. It's the oval shape. And when you walk down this
hallway, it's in the center, and it's -- there are only three
rooms in the Residence that have an oval shape. And one is in the bottom. It's called the Diplomatic
Room, and it's one of the rooms you come into. And then the second one,
which is the Blue Room, and then there's a room upstairs
in our house that's called the Yellow Oval Room. And all of them look
out onto the South Lawn, and you can see the fountain,
and you can see the Washington Monument, and you can see
so much of Washington. And it's still a
cozy-feeling room. So when we have a
lot of guests over, it's really nice to be able
to have them see the view. When we did the Easter Egg Roll,
and we walked out with the -- I don't know how many
people saw that. Were you there? Were you there? Was it fun? Did you
have a good time? Audience:
Yes! The First Lady:
Well, we walked out, and we walked out
onto a balcony, and it was the balcony connected
to the Blue Oval Room. It's that room. So hopefully you'll see. Child:
Well, I saw the
balcony, and it was -- The First Lady:
Yeah. Child:
-- it was in front
of the football -- The First Lady:
Yeah, the football
activity section. Yes, that's where
the Blue Oval is. It is important to know where
the rooms are in relationship to the football activity center -- (laughter) -- which is good. All right, all right, you. Child:
Is there anything you have to
do that you don't like to do? The First Lady:
Say that again? Is there anything I have to
do that I don't like to do? Yes. (laughter) No. (laughter) Yes, there are always things
grown-ups have to do that we don't want to do. I had this conversation with my
kids just two days ago, right, because they came home,
they had homework, but they saw me sitting, and I
was reading over my work for next week. The TV was on, and they
said, "Mom, you're so lucky. You just have nothing to do." (laughter) And I was like, "Yeah,
it seems that way." But grown-ups, a lot of the
stuff we do is stuff we don't want to do, you know? A lot of times we'd rather be
playing outside and eating candy and playing with our dogs. But that's part of
being a grown-up. So I think it's just
responsibility. Sometimes you just
don't want any. You want to do what you
want to do all the time. And I don't think grown-ups
are any different. Right, parents in the room? We're not different. We
want to be hanging out, too. But a lot of the things that
I have to do are a lot of fun. Like, this is something
that I love to do. And it's -- and is this
something that I have to do? I think so. But it's also something
that I really love to do. And it's a lot of fun
to talk to you guys. So I get to do a lot
of this kind of stuff. I got to go with Olympians,
Winter Olympians yesterday. We went to a school. Shani Davis, the speed skater
-- very cool and very silly. He was a lot of fun. And we played and joked and
laughed with kids at a school. You know, if I have to do
that every day, I'll take it. Right? All right,
green shirt, green shirt. There you go. What, you forgot? Child:
Yeah. The First Lady:
That's okay. (laughter) It's okay. When you remember, as
soon as you remember, we will come back to you. But don't feel pressured.
All right, in the green. We'll stick with green.
In the green raincoat. So keep an eye on him
when he remembers. Child:
What kind of music do you like? The First Lady:
Oh, that's a good question.
I like all kinds of music. All right, so this
is what's in my iPod, some of the stuff
that's in my iPod. I love Stevie Wonder. That may be -- Stevie --
you know, Stevie Wonder? (laughter) Child:
Michael Jackson? The First Lady:
Michael Jackson, I've
got some Michael Jackson. But I've got some Rihanna, I've got
some Beyonce -- I love Beyonce. (laughter) Oh, yeah, I love some Beyonce. I've got some new
Usher on my CD. I'm trying to relate the things
that are on there that you could connect with. Sting, anyone? Sting? (laughter) No? What's so funny? (laughter) And I like some
jazz, lots of jazz, but I won't go into -- you might
not -- how many people here are jazz lovers? Some of your favorite
artists, yell them out. Child:
(inaudible) The First Lady:
Who? Child:
Michael Jackson. (laughter) The First Lady:
Okay, Michael, he's not jazz. (laughter) Child:
Louis Armstrong. The First Lady:
Louis Armstrong,
don't have any of him, but he's good, too. Any other jazz? What? Child:
(inaudible) The First Lady:
That's okay. So that
gives you a sense. It's a lot of different things. I love to dance, I
love a good beat. All right. Did you remember yet? All right, little
lady in the orange. Yes, you. Child:
I have two questions.
The first one is -- The First Lady:
Two. Please stand with
your two, so we can see you. Child:
The first question is how often
do you use your movie theater? The First Lady:
Oh, good question. Usually on the --
almost every weekend, but not always every weekend. Child:
I actually have three. (laughter) The First Lady:
Okay. I don't want anyone from the
press to get any ideas on this. (laughter) Child:
The second one is: Is your
movie theater able to play any movie you want? And is it able to play new
movies that are out in the regular theater? The First Lady:
Yes. The only thing that
we can't play -- we can't play 3-D movies. So we don't have 3-D -- are
the engineers -- we don't have 3-D capability yet. That's correct. But we get all kinds of movies. We get movies that are in
theaters now and we get movies that were old movies. You can play TV on there,
so when it's Super Bowl, we have a big Super Bowl party
and we're watching the Super Bowl. Third and final question. Child:
Yes, third and final question. The First Lady:
Okay. (laughter) Child:
What do you use most in
the White House, like, you have a tennis court, you
have -- I can't remember what else, but you have
a lot of things. The First Lady:
There's a lot of
stuff here, there is. You know, right now I do think
we're using the tennis court the most, because everybody
is taking tennis lessons. But when it gets hot we're going
to use the swimming pool a lot. We haven't used it
yet this season, but that's one of those
things we use a lot. Child:
Sometimes. The First Lady:
Sometimes. It's
coming. It's coming. All right, the young
man right on the end. I'm moving around.
I'm coming back that way. Child:
What is the thing you care about
the most in the environment? The First Lady:
What do I care about the
most in the environment? Child:
Yes. Like, what
animal or what plant? The First Lady:
Oh, what animal or what plant. You know, we're big tiger savers
because Malia -- Malia's one issue for her father
is saving the tigers. So we talk about the tigers at
least once a week and what he's doing to save the tigers. (laughter) So I think now we
are -- you know, he tells her he's working on it
and there are a lot of people who are thinking about it. He hasn't come up with a
sufficient answer yet, but he's got a couple of more
years or so to fix this problem. But I think the Obama household,
we're trying to save the tigers. All right, okay.
All right, all right. Child:
Do you spend -- The First Lady:
Wait, here comes the mic. Okay. Child:
Do you spend more time with
your dog or with your kids? (laughter) The First Lady:
Did everyone get that question? (laughter) I think that the appropriate
answer would be my children. (laughter) No, it's pretty clear
that it's the kids, because they're my
kids; they need me. Bo can be with anybody. We spend a lot of time -- well,
we try to spend a lot of time together as a family. But during the day, a lot
of times Bo is outside, he's running around. He's not interested in hanging
out with me until the girls come home anyway. Child:
Or now. The First Lady:
Or now. You see, he wasn't even that
interested in sitting here for a few minutes. We were trying -- I was trying
to get some quality time with him, and he just wanted to play. I was boring. So all right, we'll
stay in this section. All right, you in the pink. Yes, you. Yes, you,
you, you! It'd be you! Child:
How often do you go
in the Oval Office? The First Lady:
How often do I go
in the Oval Office? Not as often as you think. I can't think of the last
time I was over there. No -- because that's work to
me. So that's my husband's job. So if I have -- if I --
sometimes I have to cut through the West Wing to
get to another building, so if I'm there I'll stop
in, I'll see what's going on, or if there's an event. But I don't go there everyday
like the President does, because I usually -- if
I need to talk to him, I'll wait till he comes home. He's in New York. He just left.
Did you hear the helicopters? Were you guys here when
the helicopters took off? You heard it on the news? Well, he just left to go to New
York, you're absolutely right. Okay. Oh, green, he's
ready. He is ready! Child:
Is there anything that you
have at the White House that you didn't have in Chicago,
besides the movie theater and the other stuff,
like the back of the -- The First Lady:
Yeah, pretty much the movie
theater and all the other stuff. (laughter) We didn't have
any of this stuff. You know, when we
lived in Chicago, we lived in a regular house
with a backyard and neighbors, and we didn't have security,
and we didn't have a swing set, and we didn't have
the South Lawn, and we didn't have
a movie theater. We had DVDs and stuff like that. Child:
No, by the stuff, I mean, like
the basketball court and the things other former
Presidents have built. The First Lady:
We had none of it. We had
nothing, none of it. Sorry. Child:
But Bo -- The First Lady:
Bo -- we didn't have Bo. We didn't have Bo.
We had nothing! (laughter) We had each other. We had love! (laughter) That's what we had. But no, we didn't have any
of that stuff in Chicago. You know what, we did. There was a basketball
hoop in our backyard. I know. That's about it.
All right. Okay, you. Child:
What is your favorite -- The First Lady:
Get your mic, get your mic. Child:
What is your favorite part
about being the First Lady and having the power to change
like the world and stuff? The First Lady:
Oh, did you hear that? I have
the power to change things. Child:
Yeah. The First Lady:
Yeah, yeah. My favorite thing is, you know,
the feeling that with even small gestures you can impact people's
lives in ways -- I mean, sometimes it's not
even doing anything, but the fact that I can go to
a school just for a visit and bring attention to what they're
doing just by coming to visit. I can use this platform to
highlight issues that are important and to point out
people that are already doing really good things. So it's not always
anything that I can do, but it's helping other people
get the attention around the good things that they're
already doing -- hard work and sacrifice, people who are doing
things for their families. It's an exciting opportunity
to be able to shine the light. Like, today we're getting to
see how smart you guys are, the whole country is getting to
see just how bright and engaging you guys are and how eager you are
to ask questions and to learn. And that's important for
us to remember every day, just how important our young
people are and just how curious and ready to do
anything you all are. So that's fun. All right, way in
the back, red hair. Yeah, it's red. Child:
Can you do anything to
make the recess longer? (laughter) The First Lady:
Say that -- oh, to
make recess longer? (laughter) Audience:
Yes! (laughter) The First Lady:
Okay, longer recess. Can I make recess longer? Oh, some people are no --
I see a "no" over there. Well, the thing that we want to
make sure that we want to work to do is to make sure
all kids have recess. There are some kids and some
schools and some places that don't have recess. And we want to change that
because during the day -- you guys tell me, doesn't it feel
better to get through the day when you get a little break, you
get to run around a little bit, get some of that energy
out, sweat a little bit, throw a ball? Right? Doesn't
that help you learn? Our belief is that
it helps kids learn. So the first thing is we need to
make sure that every kid has an opportunity to have recess
in their schools and to get exercise and to have P.E.
and to play in sports. Right? And then once we make
sure all kids have it, then the question becomes
whether we need to make it longer or whether we need to
make sure you know your math. Yeah, I know, there's the
school aspect of school, but it's getting a good balance
so that kids are getting a little bit of everything. Does that make sense?
All right, sounds good. All right. Little lady
next to Alan in the white. You were blocking her way, Alan. Child:
The "move it" business
that you do, is it -- The First Lady:
That "move it" business? Child:
-- working out well? The First Lady:
Is the "move it" business
working out well? (laughter) You know, we just started
the "Let's Move" initiative; this is the obesity initiative. And right now we're very
pleased with the response. Everybody that we've come across
is excited about the possibility that we could make sure
that kids are healthier. I haven't run into anyone who
thinks it's not a good idea, because it's all about you all. So, so far so good, but we
got a lot of work to do. And we won't know how good
we're doing for a while. And we'll see it in you all. So we'll check back again
next year when you come back, and then you can ask
me that question again. All right? Okay, you, young
lady in the line. Yes, yes, you. Yes,
you. Find your mic. Child:
Do Malia and Sasha still
hang out with their friends from Chicago? The First Lady:
They do. They do. They still hang out with their friends
from Chicago as much as possible. So sometimes on vacations,
sometimes they come for events. But yeah, that's one of the
important things that they've been able to do, is
make new friends here, really good friends
that they love, but their old friends are
still folks that they've known all their lives. You know old friends you've had
since you were three, right? There's nothing like
those friends, right? So they've been lucky to be
able to keep those connections. All right, let's see. We have lots of
pink in the back, so let's get the first
in the tie-dye pink. I'm coming. Child:
Do you help your girls
with their homework? The First Lady:
Yes, every night. Well, Malia is older, so she
does her homework on her own, right. She's very independent,
so I don't help her, and she doesn't want
my help, quite frankly. Sasha, who is still in --
she's a little bit younger, when she needs help
-- yes, third grade, that's correct -- and so when
she needs help, I help her. But I usually check homework
to make sure -- you know, I try not to redo it, but I try
to check it and ask her if she can change things
if they're wrong. So, all right, how
about you, young man? Child:
How long have you had Bo? The First Lady:
We've had Bo for a little
over a year. Right, press? I'm counting on you -- we got
him -- it's like I saw a story on his anniversary. (laughter) So it's been a
little over a year, but he'll be two in October. His birthday is October. Child:
He's big for a one-year-old. The First Lady:
But, you know, dogs grow fast. The comment was, "He's big for
a one-year-old," but, you know, one-year-old dogs are
not baby puppies anymore. And he's a big breed dog. So he's sort of -- that's about
as big as he's going to get. That's the size he is. He's sort of -- now
he's like a teenager. He's not a baby anymore.
He's not a baby puppy. Dogs have shorter life spans, so their
life moves along a little faster. So when you're one
or two as a dog, you're more like a teenager. Child:
And if it were 10 --
if the dog was 10 -- The First Lady:
If the dog is 10 years
old, the dog is old. It's an old, old dog. Child:
Like a grandma. The First Lady:
Like a grandma,
exactly, exactly. Hope that doesn't offend anyone. But yeah, that's about where
they are in their lives when they're 10. Okay, you, young lady in the
glasses in the second row. Child:
Do you still communicate
with your friends in Chicago? The First Lady:
Yes, I do, too. Like Malia and Sasha, some of
my oldest friends are a great comfort, right, so we try to
connect as much as possible. So that's been a fun
thing for me, too. All right, how are we doing? We got -- we're going to be able
to do a couple more questions. So if you've asked a question,
make sure your hand is down. Make sure that you ask
a question that hasn't been asked before. All right? Are these all the hands
with brand new questions? Okay, yes, definitely. All right, here comes the mic. I'm going to do one
in each section. One here -- which is you -- one
there, one there, and one there. Okay? And I'll go around.
Does that sound fair? And you all can talk amongst
yourselves and figure out who the question needs to be. Yes. Child:
I have two. (laughter) What's Bo's favorite toy? The First Lady:
What's Bo -- he likes
-- Bo's favorite toy is this big rope. It's a huge rope that he
likes to drop at your feet, and the game is can you
get it before he gets it. So he drops it, and then he
waits for you to get it, and then you go to get it,
and he tries to get it, and if you get it, then you
pull in, you play tug of war, and then he tries to win. Child:
(inaudible) The First Lady:
No, he wins if he
plays against Sasha. Usually, I win if I
-- because I'm bigger. I'm bigger than Bo. Child:
And my second question is:
How early do the girls have to get up? The First Lady:
How early do they
have to get up? The girls get up at 6:00 a.m. They could get up later
if they move faster. (laughter) But that's their choice. You either move slow
and get up early, or move faster and get up later. All right, this section. Okay, in the black. Yes, you. Child:
Okay. Oh, yeah -- The First Lady:
Take your time. Child:
I just remembered. Why did you start the
"Let's Move" or something, whatever that is? The First Lady:
That "Let's Move" thing? Yeah, yeah. Well, that is a question
that I answered before. I'm going to answer really quick
and give somebody else in this section -- because I
want to make sure that all kids are healthy. And it's important to
make sure that kids start out all good habits. And if you start out
early with good habits, then you grow up with
good habits, right, and then we have a
healthier nation, right? If we've got healthier kids,
they're going to be healthier parents, and they're going
to raise healthier kids. All right, one more
in this section. All right, you on the end. Yes. Child:
What activities are you and your
family interested in the most? The First Lady:
Activities like sports
and things like that? We all like different things. Some of us like soccer. Some like
tennis. Some like basketball. Everybody likes to watch movies.
We're all big movie fans. Everybody likes
to travel, right. Everybody gets excited
when there's a big trip, and we like to travel when
we can all travel together. And usually we don't
care where we go. It's usually fun
and interesting. So those are some of the
things we like to do. Child:
(inaudible) The First Lady:
Yeah, I know. I know. All right, we've got
the question here. All right, we're going
to go in the back, because I've done
a lot in the front. And the young lady with the stripe
-- the multicolored stripes. Child:
What are your responsibilities
as First Lady, and do they change if President
Obama goes out of town? The First Lady:
That's a good question:
What are my responsibilities as First Lady? You know, First Ladies
technically don't have a job description, and that's
something that's been debated. It's like whether First Ladies
should get paid for what they do, whether there should be a
more defined job description. But right now every First Lady
defines their job based on what their interests
and passions are. So some First Ladies spent a lot of
time promoting reading and literacy. Some people promoted
saying no to drugs. Hillary Clinton promoted work
with children and work abroad, a lot of international focus. So it really changes from
First Lady to First Lady. For me, the issues are
healthy living for our kids. And no, my job description
doesn't change if the President is out of town. The President is the -- he's the
official who is elected by the people of the United States. And there's a different line
of responsibility on that end. So if the President can't do
what he needs to do if he's out of commission or
if he gets sick, then the Vice
President steps in. And if the Vice President can't,
then there's a whole chain of people throughout Congress who
take responsibility in the event that something happens
to the President. But the First Ladies -- my role
-- is really connected to what the President -- what the issues
I've picked are as First Lady. Does that make sense? All right, we've got
the last question. And it's going to
be in this section, because we had that deal, right? And it is going to be
the young lady in red, because you had a lot of
people pointing at you so -- (laughter) I know, I know. Child:
What after-school
activities do the girls do? The First Lady:
They do piano. They do
practice for their sports. Sasha does dance, hip-hop. Malia does flute. So I think -- I'm sure
I'm missing something, but that's about -- those are
-- that's sort of the array. And then the sports change
from season to season. So basketball season Sasha
played basketball -- that's over. I'm probably going to have them
do some swimming now that it's getting warmer, right;
work on those strokes. All right. Well, you know
what, we're done. We are done. I know, I could
stay here forever, but now I got to go do the
rest of what I have to do as First Lady today. But let me tell you, it was -- Child:
Bo! The First Lady:
Okay, we will get --
let's start working Bo back up here, because
I made that promise. Audience:
Bo! The First Lady:
Wait, wait, wait. Everybody sit. I'm going to ask you guys
all to -- wait, wait. I'm going to ask you guys all to
sit and to be calm because he's excited -- he's excited. And I'll bring up and then
I'll take him to each section. Kristen, if you bring him up
to me, then we'll go around. You guys, thank you, and
make sure you learn a lot.
