• Former President Obama has some words of advice for fathers of girls: treat their moms right.
The ex-commander in chief, dad to 22-year-old Malia and 19-year-old Sasha, dished some parenting tips Monday in an interview on CBS’s “The Late Late Show.”
“The second best piece of advice I’ve got for fathers of girls is not only love them unconditionally, but treat their moms great,” Obama said in response to a question from a dad about suggestions from a “girl dad” for raising his newborn daughter.
“Your daughters are watching how their mom’s being treated,” Obama, 59, said. “So if they see that you love and respect and support their mom, then when they get older that’s what they’re going to expect for themselves.”
“And that’s worked out pretty well for me,” said Obama, who’s been married to wife Michelle for 28 years.
The 44th president also offered another “serious tip” for new parents: get youngsters on a regular sleeping and mealtime schedule.
“When they’re coming up, they end up just being happier and better behaved,” Obama, promoting his memoir, “A Promised Land,” told host James Corden. “Because half the time when they’re throwing a tantrum or something, it’s because they’re sleepy or hungry.”
Asked during the wide-ranging interview what he would tell Sasha and Malia if they chose to follow in his footsteps and go into politics as a profession, Obama said, “You have to have a certain tolerance for nonsense and silliness and meanness, frankly, to go into public service.”
“As a father, I want to protect my girls from that stuff,” he said.
The issue that he and Michelle most worried about before entering the White House, Obama said, was, “Are we going to end up with weird kids?”
“There are butlers in the White House — and who has butlers?” Obama explained.
But, Obama said, his daughters are “just kind people. They don’t have an attitude.”
After having Secret Service keep a watchful eye on them during dates growing up, Obama quipped, “I think they are probably going to find other ways to serve rather than run for office themselves.”
“But you never know,” he added. “But if they decided to do it, I would be extraordinarily proud of them.”