Michelle Obama reveals impact lockdown has had on daughters

Michelle Obama has given a sneak peek into life at home during the COVID-19 quarantine, revealing some surprising details about her family’s routines.

The mum-of-two was speaking on the latest episode of her podcast and got candid about how her family, including her husband Barack and their two daughters, Malia, 22, and Sasha, 19, have been spending their time.

“Schedule has been key, and having a regular dinner time,” Michelle, 56, explained. “And I’m finding that in quarantine, we look forward to that."

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Because for the most part, they all spend their days in their own bubbles before reconvening for the evening when the fun and games begin!

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“Barack’s in his office, making calls, working on his book. I’m in my room. The girls are on their computers," Michelle told her guest, former NPR host Michele Norris. "Sometimes we’re outside if the weather permits, but we’ve developed this routine, you know, we don’t really worry about seeing one another in the day."

But then, "right around five o’clock, everybody comes out of their nooks," and it’s time for puzzles and cards.

"Puzzles have become big," she added, explaining they had a designated table that permanently has a puzzle on the go. Then they hunker down for a game of Spades which gets a little competitive.

Michelle and Barack have been in lockdown with their two daughters

"They’ve got a Spades tournament. Barack has taught the girls Spades, so now there’s this vicious competition," she said. “They wouldn’t have sat down, but for this quarantine, to learn how to play a card game with their dad."

Both daughters were forced to take their university courses online due to quarantine. Malia is completing her third year at Harvard University and Sasha has just wrapped up her freshman year at the University of Michigan.

Although it’s been an unsettling time for them, Michelle said it’s also been beneficial.

"It’s an unburdening for them. I don’t know if they’ve articulated it. But there is a calm in them. It’s almost like they needed the world to stop a little bit. They didn’t realise that the world they were on and the way they were living it, was so treadmill-like, so fast and furious. Because it was all they ever knew."

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