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Obama's Executive Order: No Weeknight TV For Sasha and Malia
Filed under: Celeb Kids, Celeb Parents, In The News, Celeb News & Interviews
Despite his hip persona, President Obama does not allow TV on school nights. Credit: Callie Shell, Obama Transition Office/Getty Images
Don't ask Malia and Sasha Obama if they've seen the latest episode of "Hannah Montana" or "Wizards of Waverly Place."
They're forbidden to watch TV. At least during the week.
Their father, the leader of the free world, exercised what many tweens would consider an abuse of executive authority. He decreed no TV during the week. Only weekends.
In an interview in the March issue of Essence magazine, hitting newsstands this week, President Barack Obama says there can be no political debate on this issue.
"The girls don't watch TV during the week. Period," he says.
"There's no doubt that Michelle and I have more resources and privileges compared with a lot of parents. We understand that," he says in the interview. "But I don't care how poor you are. You can turn off the television set during the week."
In the interview, according to an advance report by the Associated Press, Obama tells the magazine that Malia, 11, and Sasha, 8, tend to their homework before anything else. If they're not done by dinner -- around 6:30 p.m. -- they must finish their homework before being allowed to read for fun until bedtime.
Sasha's bedtime is 8:30 p.m., the president tells Essence. Malia gets to stay up until 9 p.m.
Obama discussed his no-television policy in response to a question about what parents to can do to promote their children's education. In addition to turning off the TV, Obama says parents can keep in regular contact with their children's teachers.
(The Obamas have never missed a parent-teacher conference, according to the Associated Press.)
Children usually rise to the level of expectation, the president tells the magazine.
"Very early on, we set expectations for Malia and Sasha in terms of them taking responsibility for their own education," he says. They began setting their own alarm clocks at age 4 to wake themselves up, make their own beds and get themselves ready for school.
"We monitor them," he tells Essence, "but they are expected to be prepared to learn when they go to school."
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
2-17-2010 @ 1:52PM
Current Events said...Aww at least let them watch the news!
Reply
2-17-2010 @ 4:40PM
dustyz said...nice! taking cable out of the home makes for a way better family life and more engaged children.
Reply
2-17-2010 @ 10:50PM
R said...TOO BAD HE'S THEIR EVIL FATHER! IF THEY GROW UP THINKING , DOING AND BELIEVING LIKE THEIR MAMMA AND PAPA, THIS WORLD IS IN BAD SHAPE. THEY WILL GET TO SEE HIM ON THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE AFTER THESE FOUR YEARS ARE UP. IMPEACHOBAMACAMPAIGN.COM....
Reply
2-18-2010 @ 9:13AM
LS said...Millions of parents around this country have been doing this for years and years. It's suddenly news NOW because Obama does it???
Reply
2-19-2010 @ 9:39PM
CLM said...Millions? Really? You think MILLIONS in this country don't let their kids watch TV during the week? Given this country's educational scores of late, I would lay money that it's more along the lines of the hundreds of thousands.
2-20-2010 @ 6:44PM
lasagnaxxxvii said...Lol, CLM, I think you're being very generous indeed. I work at an elementary school, and every kid I see watches TV daily. They are one of the most disadvantaged schools in the district, as well, and the national test scores are phenomenally low, every year.
Reply
2-22-2010 @ 3:42AM
nikki said...My kids doesn't watch tv on weekdays because they come home at 6pm,
have dinner, shower and do their homework or extra school work that I
give them. They go to a public school and sadly the Math and Science
subjects are weak. My grade 2 actually told me that they were not
given a Science book this year. We cannot afford to send our kids to
a private school so I just make sure that they answer extra Math
worksheets, write on a journal and learn a Science topic on a
Saturday afternoon. The budget cuts are taking it's toll on the
school system. We do know that this was mostly the result of the
crisis that the financial industry had inflicted in our society.
Will President Obama's revision of the No child left behind proposal
correct this? We sure hope so.
Reply