Q&A; with Michelle Obama
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Printable FormatMichelle Obama, vice president for community and external affairs at the University of Chicago Hospitals, sat down with the Tribune in her office on Dec. 6. Here is an excerpt from the interview.
Jeff Zeleny
Chicago Tribune
Q. You didn't move to Washington. Why?
A. We made a good decision to stay in Chicago, to remain based in Chicago, so that has kept our family stable. There has been very little transition for me and the girls. Now he's commuting a lot, but he's the grown-up. He's the senator. He can handle it. That's really helped in keeping us grounded.
Q. How has the balance of time worked?
A. It's taken a good year to figure out what I, personally, can handle and I think Barack is figuring out the same thing. Up until September, we did great in terms of the schedule being what we expected. He usually leaves Monday evening and comes back Thursday evening. We were pretty good about keeping Sundays sacred. Our struggle is more visible, but it isn't significantly different from the demands that are placed on working-class professional families.
Q. How has your life changed?
A. I would be speaking every night of the week as the senator's wife if I tried to meet a fraction of the requests, but I don't because I just can't. I'm the parent, so when it comes to potlucks and play dates and pickups and keeping the kids on cue, that's generally me. The requests haven't died down. It's national. Sometimes I'm amazed. It's like, are you sure you want me?
Q. Do you consider yourself--at least sometimes--a single parent?
A. Oh, heck yeah. You know, at times it can be wearing, because you're on 24/7. Part of what we've had to figure out is what kind of support do I need to make my life less hectic? I'd like the support to come from Dad, but when it can't, I just really need the support. It doesn't really matter whether it's him or not as long as our kids are happy and they feel like they are connected to him. So I have to get over the fact that it's not him. It's Mom, friends, baby-sitters. This is where it's easier for us because we are professional people; we earn enough money to have resources to help support us.
Q. What does his future hold?
A. You can't get ahead of yourself in this thing because you lose focus on your effectiveness. And that involves family life. When you come home, the dishes have to be done; he has to make the bed and take the kids to school and the kids expect to get through Harry Potter ... before the week is out. That means that you better be reading every night. And then you get the movie and sit with them and watch it because that's the deal you cut. And you better write in the family journal because [daughter] Malia sent you a note. Those are the day-to-day things that make you say: Look buddy, the future is right now.
Q. You've walked the red carpet in Los Angeles and gone to many official events. How has that been?
A. Yeah, that's kind of neat. You have your element of star-watching, but what is interesting to me is when one of these stars is actually excited to see Barack. It's like, you're kidding, right? They are nervous, too! And I'm like, but you're Queen Latifah. Or Barbara Walters, coming up to me saying, "I just want to introduce myself to you." I'm like, I know who you are.
Q. Have you been active in the Senate spouses club?
A. I have not. I feel kind of bad about it. There are some wives that are really involved in it. I think the culture is changing too. There are a lot of wives who have their own careers and they don't live in D.C. If we lived in D.C., I might be much more involved. But it's hard with little kids and a full professional work plate.
Q. As his career progresses, what concerns you?
A. I would constantly tamp down expectations because they're not realistic. There is still a lot of hard work that we as a country need to do. They can't look to any one individual, whether it's Barack or it's the next new hope that's going to appear to be that savior. And I would just hate for people to sort of see this potential and think: Oh, now I can rest easy because Barack Obama is going to fix things. It doesn't work that way.
Q. Are you willing to go along with whatever the next step is?
A. I'm not wrapping my arms around more than what we are doing right now. You have to wait and see what happens, what the future holds and what makes sense. Timing is everything.