Obama admits he would've been more 'judgmental' if he had a son over daughters
Barack Obama appeared on his wife's podcast, where he opened up about his relationship with his own father, and how he doesn't know if he could have raised a son
Former President Barack Obama recently revealed his uncertainty about whether he could have successfully raised boys, given his own experiences with an absent father.
Obama made these candid remarks during a guest appearance on his wife's podcast, IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson, which is set to air this Wednesday.
In an exclusive clip shared with PEOPLE, the former president discussed raising their daughters, Malia, 27, and Sasha, 24, in the unique environment of the White House. Both daughters have since pursued careers outside of politics.
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During the show, he confessed: "I've said often that I think I would have had more difficulty raising a son. I think I might have been more judgmental, harder.
"I like to think I would have been self aware enough to combat that, but I just think father-son relationships for me particularly, if I don't have a dad around to show it to me, would have been more difficult."
He also asked Michelle's brother Craig about his experience as a father to a son, specifically if he modeled his parenting after their own father.
Craig responded: "It was a little bit of everything,
"Initially, I thought, 'Okay, I'm going to take what I learned from dad,' all the things that I thought were positive. And all the things that I thought were negative, I'm going to repurpose."
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Obama was born in Hawaii to his mother Ann Dunham and father Barack Obama Sr. His parents divorced when he was just two years old, and he was primarily raised by his mother.
Barack Obama only met his father once more in his life, when he visited Hawaii while Barack was around 9 years old. His father tragically died in a car accident in 1982.
Sasha and Malia, the children of Barack and Michelle Obama, grew up under the public eye after their father's election in 2008. At that time, Malia was just 10 years old and Sasha was 7, making her the youngest resident of the White House since John F. Kennedy Jr.
Today, Malia has made a name for herself in the film industry, even having a film showcased at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024. Meanwhile, Sasha recently earned her sociology degree from the University of Southern California.
Despite their high-profile political careers, the Obamas strived to provide as normal a childhood as possible for their daughters.
Michelle also candidly discussed on a podcast how challenging it was to raise their two daughters in the White House, particularly given Barack's limited availability for parenting duties during his presidency.
