Malia Obama turned 13 on the Fourth of July, sharing her celebration with hundreds of troops and their families at a barbecue and USO concert on the South Lawn.
Like many dads, Obama appears to be a bit anxious about what growing up means for his little girls. "I could not ask for better kids," he recently said of Malia and 10-year-old sister Sasha. "I'm not anticipating complete mayhem for the next four, five years. But I understand teenage-hood is complicated."
And at a re-election campaign fund-raiser in New York City last month featuring Sister Act star Whoopi Goldberg, he joked about sending them to a convent like the one in the movie to ease his mind. "They're getting a little too old and too cute," he said. Later, visiting a Chrysler plant, he observed that the Wrangler represents "freedom, adventure, hitting the open road, never looking back," and added, "which is why Malia and Sasha will never buy one. Until maybe they're 35. I don't want any adventure for them."
We're not so sure that "no adventure until 35" is a reasonable goal, but re-election in 2012 could get both of the girls pretty good protection from the Secret Service for a solid chunk of their teen years. Just another incentive.
Read more at Yahoo News.
In other news: White House Holds First-Ever 'TweetUp.'