Filed under 'Malia Obama'

What's it like raising two young girls in the White House?

According to First Lady Michelle Obama, life at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue isn't too different from life at any other household in America with pre-teens. There are sleepovers to be had, chores to be done, and Kardashians to keep up with, and just like so many others, Obama has one main objective when it comes to daughters Malia, 13, and Sasha, 10, telling iVillage, "They're terrific girls, they're poised and they're kind and they're curious. And like any mother, I am just hoping that I don't mess them up."

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Although most of us grew up learning about the 3 R's: Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic, and are still trying to make sense of it, in a recent trip to Britain's elite Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School, First Lady Michelle Obama shared that for her daughters, Sasha, 9, and Malia, 12, she and President Obama have a different motto: "Read, Write, Read, Read."

"If the president were here - one of his greatest strengths is reading. That's one of the reasons why he's a good communicator, why he's such a good writer," said Mrs. Obama. "He's a voracious reader. So we're trying to get our girls, no matter what, to just be - to love reading and to challenge themselves with what they read, and not just read the gossip books, but to push themselves beyond and do things that maybe they wouldn't do.

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After you've been flown around the world in private jets, met heads of state and had private concerts with the likes of Paul McCartney and the Jonas Brothers, what's next?

For presidential daughter Malia Obama, it's summer camp!

Malia, 12, will be taking part in this classic American tradition for the first time this summer, and experts say the president and Michelle Obama have made a wise choice in letting their eldest daughter participate in this rite of passage. From Peg Smith, CEO of the American Camp Association:

We're proud, and very pleased for Malia. Education and learning has been something that the president has talked a great deal about, and we see camp as a great learning environment. We're sure she'll have a great experience.

But we all know that sometimes that initial separation can be harder on the parents than on the kids, as the president let on in a recent interview. "I may shed a tear," he admitted.

It's all smiles at the White House! President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and their daughters, Malia, 11, and Sasha, 8, sat for a family portrait in the Green Room of the White House on September 1.

Famed photographer Annie Leibovitz captured this great family shot that was officially released by the White House on Friday (October 23). Noticeably absent? Bo, the Obama family Portugese water dog!

The First Lady recently said the girls easily adjusted to life at the White House:

You know, happiness for me really is when my kids are good and when my family is whole. Moving [to the White House], whatever stresses would be on my husband and me, we could handle; we are grown-ups. But it wouldn't be until the day that my kids came home and said to me, ‘I like it here,’ that I'd feel like I could breathe and know that we're all going to be okay here. And that happened very early into the year. My happiness is measured against theirs - when they're in a good place, I feel really good.”