Obama's tattoo plan for the girls: 'Mommy and me will get the same exact tattoo'
President Obama's tattoo plan for Sasha and Malia is pre-emptive. Obama said he and Michelle told the girls their tattoo plan is to get the same ink the girls do, show it off on YouTube as a family tattoo.
Obama's tattoo plan for his girls? Prevent it with warnings of certain embarrassment. Here, Obama and first lady Michelle Obama walk from the White House with their daughters Sasha Obama (2nd l.) and Malia Obama (r.) on their way to church for Easter services, March 31, in Washington.
Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press
President Obama told NBC's "Today" last week where he and first lady Michelle Obama stand on the topic of tattoos for daughters Sasha and Malia, staying cool and 'with it' as a parent, and Mrs. Obama's remark that she's a single parent.
In the segment, which was broadcast this morning, Mr. Obama told Savannah Guthrie of "Today" that he and the first lady are relying on pre-emptive measures to prevent any ink-based rebellion as the girls grow up.
"Michelle and I have used the strategy when it comes to things like tattoos – what we've said to the girls is, 'If you guys ever decide you're going to get a tattoo, then mommy and me will get the same exact tattoo in the same place. And we'll go on YouTube and show it off as a family tattoo," Obama said. "And our thinking is that might dissuade them from thinking that somehow that's a good way to rebel."
While some parents don't get more than a "nothing" from their kids in response to questions about what they did that day, what they're looking at online, or what are the hip things young whippersnappers are doing, Obama said his girls are pretty good at keeping him in the know.
He told "Today" that he takes their music suggestions seriously and tries to convince the girls he's still with it through the musicians invited to play at the White House music series on PBS. He's not bluffing. The series' most recent broadcast had legendary stars like Mavis Staples and Al Green sharing the microphone with Justin Timberlake and last year's SXSW music-festival phenom Alabama Shakes.
Obama also explained what his wife meant when, during an interview earlier in March with a CBS affiliate, she said it can feel like she's a single parent at times. "There's no doubt that there have been times where Michelle probably felt like a single mom," Obama said. "I know that before we got here ... when I was running for the US Senate, for president, there were times where I wouldn't see her for a week and she was still working and had to look after the girls."
"She definitely understands the burdens that women in particular tend to feel if they're both responsible for child rearing and they're responsible for working at the same time."