The Real Reasons Michelle Obama's Mother Lived In The White House

When Barack Obama won his presidential run in 2008, he and the rest of the Obama family packed up their things and moved from the state of Illinois to the White House, but they weren't alone. It was a family affair when Barack became president because his wife, Michelle Obama, brought her mother, Marian Robinson, along for the ride.

Michelle and her mother have always had a close relationship. In 2019, the former first lady shared a touching excerpt in honor of her mom for Mother's Day, per People. She wrote, "Her wisdom packed into short bursts and punctuated with an infectious smile or a wry laugh. It's a style that makes her a favorite of everyone she meets — a sweet, witty companion who doesn't need the limelight." Michelle and Marian have gone hand in hand their entire life, so when the Obama family moved into the White House, she begged her mom to come.

That's right, Robinson had no desire to make the move from Chicago to D.C. Michelle revealed to The Guardian that her mother even told reporters she was "dragged kicking and screaming from her quiet little bungalow on Euclid Avenue and more or less forced to live at the nation's most famous address." Michelle explained, "She had not wanted to come to Washington, but I had flat-out begged her." Eventually, Robinson broke and moved to the most famous house in America, but why had Michelle wanted her to be there?

Michelle and Barack Obama have had extremely busy lives, even before they became a first family. But one person they could always turn to for help was Michelle's mom, Marian Robinson. Michelle shared with The Guardian that one of the reasons she begged her mom to come to the White House was because she has always been the "rock of our family."

In the years before Obama was elected, Robinson was there for the couple for whatever they may have needed. Michelle explained, "Since the time our daughters were babies, she'd helped us out around the edges of our regular childcare arrangements, filling the gaps as Barack and I often improvised and occasionally flailed our way through different career transitions, heavy workload cycles, and the ever-burgeoning after-school lives of our two young girls." Robinson was the answer to everything they needed before Barack was president, so of course, they couldn't imagine spending eight years in the White House without her.

And although she may have been a bit reluctant to go and was even giving it a three-month trial, Robinson eventually found her footing, per CBS. In 2010, Michelle revealed her mother was adjusting to life in the White House. She said, "So I'm happy that she's really settled in and feels like this is home for her, as well." We have a feeling it had something to do with her two grandchildren, Sasha and Malia, which was another reason she made the move.

Michelle Obama wanted her daughters surrounded by people they knew when they moved to the White House. And there was no one better to help take care of Sasha and Malia Obama than their grandmother, even if it wasn't a typical situation in the past.

It was no secret that Marian Robinson was reluctant to move with the family, but the one thing that pushed her into it, besides Michelle, was looking after her granddaughters. She told CBS, "I felt like this was going to be a very hard life for both of them. [I] was worried about their safety. I was worried about my grandkids." Robinson brought a sense of normalcy to a not-so-normal situation. Instead of having nannies, the Secret Service, or whoever it may be taking care of a young Sasha and Malia, Robinson took that role head-on. Michelle recalled to The Guardian an interview her mom did, revealing she said, "If somebody's going to be with these kids other than their parents...it better be me."

The "First Grandmother" even taught Sasha and Malia how to do their laundry, which isn't typical when a family enters the White House, per CBS. But the Obamas wanted to make sure they lived as normal of a life as they could, and Robinson helped with that. So, while she may not have wanted to live in the most famous house in America, it truly helped Sasha and Malia adjust to a new life.