The First Daughters are approaching dating age and the First Papa has some thoughts on the matter.
President Barack Obama says he’s not worried about his daughters starting to date. After all, he’s got some help keeping an eye on them.
Malia, age 15, and Sasha, age 12, are “very sensible,” Obama told comedian and talk show host Steve Harvey in a television interview that aired on Friday.
“And the second thing is, I’ve got men with guns following them around all the time,” Obama quipped, referring to the Secret Service detail that is a constant presence around his family.
“This is the main reason I ran for re-election,” he joked in the light-hearted interview taped at the White House. “You know I’m going to have them covered for most of high school.”
More seriously:
Obama said he worries about “getting in the way of the girls just having a normal life” and said he has taught them to make good decisions about relationships.
“What I’ve told them before is, as long as that young man is showing you respect, and is kind to you, then I’m not going to be hovering over every second,” he said.
“I think it’s intimidating enough to be asking out the daughter of the president without me adding to that intimidation factor,” he said.
That’s both wise and practical; not only do the girls need to develop judgment while there’s still some parental guidance available on a daily basis but being overprotective would most likely backfire by closing the lines of communication.
Because the president has done such an admirable job of keeping his daughters out of the spotlight, it’s hard to think of Malia dating. One presumes Sasha won’t start until dad’s out of office.
