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Obama Girls Take in Paris Shopping

by Susan Wagner (Subscribe to Susan Wagner's posts) Jul 2nd 2009 11:00AM

Celeb Kids, Life & Style, Fashion & Clothing

Sasha Obama

Sasha Obama leaves Paris boutique Bonpoint. Photo: Bauer-Griffin

When Sasha and Malia Obama accompanied their parents to France last month, they visited some iconic historical landmarks. They lit candles at Notre Dame cathedral and explored the Eiffel Tower. But they also had a chance to take in some modern culture as well, with a stop at the French children's clothing store Bonpoint.

Making this excursion extra special was the fact that Mrs. Obama and the girls were allowed into the shop on a Sunday, when, by law, France's retail outlets are closed (only stores selling food or those with "recreational" or "cultural" value may be open on Sundays). We don't know if the First Lady or her daughters bought anything at Bonpoint (although how could they resist?) but we think it's really cool that this was part of their first trip to Paris.

Fashion is an important part of popular culture, particularly for the French; Mrs. Obama herself has become a style icon in her own right, both at home and abroad. We love the idea that Sasha and Malia's visit to Paris included an afternoon of browsing in a boutique, and taking in some pop culture as well as the conventional art and architecture.

Malia Obama follows a Secret Service agent into the streets of Paris. Photo: Bauer-Griffin

We also love that Mrs. Obama and her girls were able to do a normal mom-and-daughter thing together; we would imagine that it's tough these days for the First Lady to pop over to the Gap with Sasha and Malia for a little shopping. To have an hour to flip through the racks and look at clothes and just be together was probably a nice break from their very public lives.

But what about the store opening on a Sunday for the First Family, when regular French citizens aren't able to shop? There are a lot of reasons why it would have made sense to make this exception for Mrs. Obama and her children. It's possible that this was a security measure, or that the Obama's schedule didn't allow for any other opportunity to visit Bonpoint. When you're traveling with a full security detail, stopping into a shop can be a major undertaking; for the staff at Bonpoint, it was probably more manageable to have the Obamas come in for a private visit.

Whatever the reason, we're delighted that these kids are getting to be kids, even though their father is the President of the United States. And we're even more delighted that they're getting to do some really wonderful, special things with their parents as part of this experience.

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Obama Girls Take Paris

by Susan Wagner (Subscribe to Susan Wagner's posts) Jun 5th 2009 2:00PM

Celeb Kids, Life & Style

In 1962, President John Kennedy went to France, where he introduced himself by saying, "I am the man who accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy to Paris." Barack Obama may very well find himself using some version of Kennedy's quip this weekend: He's taking daughters Malia and Sasha on their first official White House trip abroad and we're sure that while the French will be happy to see the President and First Lady again, they'll be more excited about the First Kids.

Sasha and Malia Obama

    The First Family (shown here arriving in Chicago in February) are jetting off to France. This will be Sasha and Malia's first official trip abroad since moving into the White House.

    Getty Images

    President Obama told "Newsweek" that dating "will be an issue" for his girls. "I have men with guns surrounding them at all times, which I'm perfectly happy with, but they may feel differently about it."

    Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

    Malia Obama walks First Dog Bo on the White House Grounds in April of 2009.

    Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

    Just days after the inauguration, the makers of Beanie Babies introduced "Sweet Sasha" and "Marvelous Malia." Now they're valued at over $3,000 for the pair.

    Getty Images

    A boy sneaks a photo of Sasha and Malia as they watch their mom speak to 6th and 7th grade school children from around Washington, DC, in February 2008.

    Getty Images

    Sasha Obama runs down the colonnade as she returns to the White House after a February 2009 weekend visit to Chicago.

    Jonathan Ernst, Reuters

    President Obama took a night off from running the nation to hang out with the family and watch the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater perform at the Kennedy Center.

    Getty Images

    The Obama girls were easy, breezy and totally adorable on their father's inauguration day. Malia, 10, wore a double-breasted periwinkle-blue coat with a blue-ribbon tied in a bow at the waist. Seven-year-old Sasha wore a matching outfit in pinks and corals; both coats were from Crewcuts by J. Crew.

    Getty Images

    Sasha gives her father the thumbs up following the presidential oath.

    Stan Honda, AFP, Getty Images

    Sasha laughs with her father President Barack Obama following his inaugural address.

    Elise Amendola, AP



Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, finished school at Sidwell Friends on Thursday; today, they're jetting off to meet their parents in France. The Obamas will be visiting the cliffs of Normandy to mark the 65th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. The President will return to Washington on Sunday, but the girls are going on to Paris with the First Lady and the three will stay into next week. The White House is not releasing any information about the family's sightseeing plans, saying only that this is a private family trip.

While this is their first big journey since their father became President, it's not the first trip abroad for Malia and Sasha; they went to Kenya with their parents in 2006. They've never been to Europe, though, and we imagine they're pretty excited.

The trip comes at a perfect time; school is out for the summer, and Sasha Obama is turning 8 next week. And what a way to kick off summer, with a girls weekend in Paris with Mom!

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President Obama Says Dating "Will be an Issue" for Sasha and Malia

by Susan Wagner (Subscribe to Susan Wagner's posts) May 20th 2009 2:00PM

Celeb Parenting

I was nine years old when Jimmy Carter was elected President -- too young to care about politics, but old enough to be envious of his daughter, Amy, who was also nine. After all, she was getting to live in the White House! "You know she has her own pool!" I told my father. "And a bowling alley!" Yes, he said, he knew. "Why don't you run for President?" I asked. My dad laughed and said, "I don't think it would be all that much fun for you." Then he explained how Amy Carter, for the rest of her life, would have a Secret Service detail with her all the time. "Even at school?" I asked. "Even when she goes on dates?" Yes, my dad said, even when she goes on dates.

Talk about a buzz kill.

Sasha and Malia Obama

    President Obama told "Newsweek" that dating "will be an issue" for his girls. "I have men with guns surrounding them at all times, which I'm perfectly happy with, but they may feel differently about it."

    Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

    Malia Obama walks First Dog Bo on the White House Grounds in April of 2009.

    Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

    Just days after the inauguration, the makers of Beanie Babies introduced "Sweet Sasha" and "Marvelous Malia." Now they're valued at over $3,000 for the pair.

    Getty Images

    A boy sneaks a photo of Sasha and Malia as they watch their mom speak to 6th and 7th grade school children from around Washington, DC, in February 2008.

    Getty Images

    Sasha Obama runs down the colonnade as she returns to the White House after a February 2009 weekend visit to Chicago.

    Jonathan Ernst, Reuters

    President Obama took a night off from running the nation to hang out with the family and watch the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater perform at the Kennedy Center.

    Getty Images

    The Obama girls were easy, breezy and totally adorable on their father's inauguration day. Malia, 10, wore a double-breasted periwinkle-blue coat with a blue-ribbon tied in a bow at the waist. Seven-year-old Sasha wore a matching outfit in pinks and corals; both coats were from Crewcuts by J. Crew.

    Getty Images

    Sasha gives her father the thumbs up following the presidential oath.

    Stan Honda, AFP, Getty Images

    Sasha laughs with her father President Barack Obama following his inaugural address.

    Elise Amendola, AP

    Sasha Obama is playful after taking her seat .

    Jeff Christensen, AP



When Sasha and Malia Obama moved into the White House, I had essentially the exact same conversation with my sons, who are more or less the same ages as the First Kids. And the President himself weighed in recently on what it's been like for his kids to be so much in the public eye -- and on why he likes that Secret Service protection.

President Obama told "Newsweek" that so far, the girls seem to be adjusting well to life in the fishbowl. "You know, the nice thing is that, partly because of temperament, partly because of Michelle's unbelievable parenting skills, I've just got some happy, normal kids." However, he said, he does worry about the teen years, "where, you know, you're already embarrassed about your parents."

While Obama doesn't seem worried that his girls will pull anything like what the Bush twins did, he's still a protective father. All those boys who think it would be cool to take one of the First Daughters out to a movie in a few years should take heed; the President says that dating "will be an issue" for Sasha and Malia. Because he and Mrs. Obama aren't going to let the girls out of their sight? No; because of that Secret Service detail. "I have men with guns surrounding them at all times," Obama said, laughing, "which I'm perfectly happy with, but they may feel differently about it."

I can only imagine.

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