Michelle Obama Reveals Why Barack Labeled One Daughter as 'Difficult'originally appeared onParade. Barack Obamafound one of his daughters more "difficult" to raise than the other, according to his wife,Michelle Obama. During the Wednesday, August 20, episode of her and brotherCraig Robinson's"IMO" podcast, Michelle, 61, explained that Barack's relationship with their daughterMalia, 27, was more seamless than his dynamic withSasha, 24. "I'd say this to Barack, when it comes to, you know, [our] oldest, Malia, she is going to figure out who you are, what do you like and let's discuss it," Michelle said, noting that it was an "unusual" characteristic for a teenager to have. Michelle then laughed as she recalled how Malia was always eager to spend time with Barack, 64. "When Malia was a teenager, it wasn't that she was going out any less or doing anything differently," she said. "She would tell me, 'I'm going out this weekend, but I'm going to go in and give dad like 15 minutes.'" In fact, Malia and Barack bonded over discussing the political climate. "She'd go into the Treaty Room and be like, 'Tell me about Syria,'" Michelle shared, adding that Barack would always end their time together by saying, "I just had an amazing conversation with Malia." When it came to Sasha, she wasn't as focused on pleasing Barack. Michelle explained that Sasha's lack of interest in bonding with her father created a struggle for the former president. Parade Daily🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 "Sasha is like a cat," Michelle said. "She's like, 'Don't touch me, don't pet me. I'm not pleasing you. You come to me.'" After Barack labeled Sasha as "difficult," Michelle explained that their youngest was not a people "pleaser" like Malia. She then said that it's the parents' job to "be a chameleon" and adjust to the different temperaments of their children. "Some people parent to one child, or one personality child, but then you have three," Michelle, who married Barack in 1992, said. Michelle Obama Reveals Why Barack Labeled One Daughter as 'Difficult'first appeared on Parade on Aug 20, 2025 This story was originally reported byParadeon Aug 20, 2025, where it first appeared.