Michelle Obama has given an incredible insight into her relationship with her daughters Sasha and Malia in her latest podcast episode. The former First Lady of the United States sat down to chat with her good friend, Sharon Malone, who works as an obstetrician and gynaecologist. The pair covered everything from the menopause to ageing and image, and Michelle revealed how she was raising her two children in an honest and open household, especially when it came to their bodies. She said: "I always wanted my daughters to feel comfortable with their bodies, comfortable asking questions... and in order to do that, you can't have anything that’s off-limits."
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The author also reflected on how society needs to change, adding: "When you think of all that a woman's body has to do over the course of her lifetime, going from being prepared to give birth to actually giving birth, and then having that whole reproductive system shut down in menopause, right?
"The changes, the highs and lows, and the hormonal shifts, there is power in that.
"But we were taught to be ashamed of it and to not even seek to understand it or explore it for our own edification, let alone to help the next generation."
Michelle Obama opened up about her relationship with daughters Sasha and Malia
The mother-of-two even gave an honest account of experiencing a hot flush while on Marine One, before an event with Barack while he was still president.
READ: Michelle Obama unveils stunning living room at home in Washington
"It was like somebody put a furnace in my core and turned it on high," she said.
"And then everything started melting. And I thought, 'Well this is crazy, I can't, I can't do this.'"
The star also discussed Barack's attitude towards having several women in the White House go through menopause. "He didn't fall apart because he found out there were several women in his staff that were going through menopause," she said.
"He was just sort of like, 'Oh, well turn the air conditioner on…'"
MORE: Michelle Obama reveals impact lockdown has had on her daughters
Michelle and Barack Obama with their daughters when they were little
After leaving the White House in January 2017, Michelle, Barack and their daughters moved into a Tudor property in Washington, where they have been isolating during lockdown.
During the coronavirus pandemic, Michelle has been enjoying spending quality time with her daughters, who are currently at home from university.
The doting mum opened up about their experience on her new podcast and gave an insight into their daily routine. “Barack’s in his office, making calls, working on his book. I’m in my room. The girls are on their computers," she told her previous podcast 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.
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