Obama girls to face dramatic changes when the family moves into the White House

[DogPoundPup]

The American Girl catalog couldn't write a story more compelling than Obama family's upcoming adventure.

Malia and Sasha Obama find their lives turned upside down when their father becomes president and moves the family into the White House. Their new home is a fully-staffed mansion with a swimming pool, movie theater and bowling alley, but will the sisters ever feel comfortable inside the ornately decorated 135-room house? With their mother's help, the First Daughters must learn to adjust so their father can concentrate on helping the country.

The real-life story may not have American Girl's simplistic plot, but the Obama sisters will face dramatic changes when they become the youngest White House inhabitants since Amy Carter. In the time it takes for President-Elect Barack Obama to be sworn in, they'll be transformed from Hyde Park girls into American princesses.

''Their lives are not going to be normal,'' said historian Sandra Musgrove, who has written books about First Children. ''It's not normal to be a president's child. When your father is the president, you're royalty in this country.''

Future first lady Michelle Obama has described her upcoming role as ''Mommy-in-Chief'' to emphasize that the girls will be her top priority while living in the White House. Many also expect their maternal grandmother, who helped care for them during the campaign, to have a regular presence at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

''If Barack is in the White House or in our house, the girls are going to be the center of our universe,'' Michelle Obama said before the election. ''We're going to make sure they're protected and that they have some level of normalcy.''

For Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, that probably means they'll be expected to follow the current Obama household rules such as making their beds, setting their own alarm clocks and adhering to a strict 8 p.m. bedtime. It's unclear whether they'll get a raise in their $1-a-week allowance.

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[rzemanfl]

1. I thought the White House swimming pool was gone. n/t

[eleny]

2. I feel for them

For some time I've watched them with anticipation during the campaign. So many positive feelings about having young children in the White House.

It sounds like the family has some important things planned out to keep them on an even keel. They're part of our public history now. And I wish the family all the best on the personal front.

[Obamanaut]

3. Until this moment, I had not thought about the maternal granny.

I can only imagine the enormous joy, pride, and relief she must be feeling. Tom Brokaw was on Letterman and said the whole thing is different for the over 45 and under 45 year old groups. I am 66. Grew up in white neighborhood, all white school, never had a conversation with a black kid my age until I went to basic training in 1960. We were in Memphis when the busing, forced integration started. I recall the separate bathrooms, water fountains, bus seating, schools.

This afternoon I was talking with my daughter. I am not allowed to curse in the house, and it slipped out "This is fucking monumental!" If it is that way for me, the gods only know what the feeling must be for the people who lived it while people like me watched.

Dammit, I'm excited!

[RamboLiberal]

4. A $1 a week allowance - wow the Obama's are frugal

Wow, I probably got a $1 a week back in the 60's. Inflation. I think they need a raise. :sarcasm: