*Michelle Obama reflects on her new journey with former president Barack Obama, as the couple settle into life as empty-nesters.
“We’ve rediscovered all these little pockets of time, just me and Barack, that for a couple decades have been filled with school events or sports practices,” Obama tells PEOPLE. “We’re taking full advantage of this new normal, simply spending time with each other and remembering what brought us together in the first place.”
Continuing, “Sometimes I’ll get a glimpse of him and just go, ‘Hey you! Where have you been for 21 years?’ It’s an adjustment to see each other for a weekend here, a holiday break there, but the moments we do spend together feel extra special because of it.”
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.@MichelleObama Looks Back on the ‘Panic,’ Vulnerability & Gratitude of Her Record-Setting Year: ‘Life Feels Different’ #PeopleOfTheYear https://t.co/E30cjJB9Y4 pic.twitter.com/V7dB4nSpNn
— People (@people) December 4, 2019
The former first lady also opened up about the “emotional” experience of youngest daughter Sasha leaving for college.
“It was, of course, a little emotional to drop Sasha off at college,” Obama said. “We were there, just like most parents, helping her unpack and make her dorm room feel like home,” she added.
“But by and large, we let her take care of herself,” she continues. “As a parent, one of the most important things we can give our children is the freedom to find their own way in the world.”
The couple’s older daughter, Malia, 21, is in her third year at Harvard University. Sasha started college in the fall at the University of Michigan, according to Detroit News.
“The tough part,” for Barack and Michelle, has been “missing our girls,” she said.
Obama said she isn’t broken up about the couple’s empty nest.
“Unlike my parents, who dropped me off at college and just had a phone call, I text with my kids. I can text Malia [at Harvard] right this second and know what she’s thinking, she told PEOPLE last year. “I feel like she’s off on her next adventure, so I’m excited for her. I don’t need my children to make me happy. I had them so that they’d be happy.”
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