Michelle And Barack Obama's Relatable Reaction To Daughter Sasha Leaving For College

The tears started even earlier for Barack Obama as he mentally prepared for his oldest daughter Malia to graduate high school. "My daughter leaving me is just breaking my heart," he admitted during a 2016 speech. "If there are any parents here, I hope you can give me some pointers on how not to cry too much at the ceremony and embarrass her."

After taking a gap year to travel and intern to gain professional experience, Malia studied filmmaking at Harvard, her parents' alma mater. While Barack compared the experience of dropping her off at college to "open-heart surgery," he endeavored to hold back his emotions until after they said goodbye, just like he would two years later with Sasha. "I was proud that I did not cry in front of her," the former president reflected. "But on the way back, the Secret Service was off, looking straight ahead, pretending they weren't hearing me as I sniffled and blew my nose. It was rough."

Michelle has also expressed the bittersweet aspects of having grown children. "I'm excited for my girls to grow up and to become independent," she acknowledged on "Today." However, despite her pride in her grown daughters, she also noted, "I feel a little melancholy that they will never be the little ones that sit on your lap and listen to your every word and look at you adoringly."