Michelle Obama is ‘so glad’ she didn’t have a son: ‘He would have been a ‘Barack Obama’’

The former First Lady discusses modern masculinity and her advice for anyone raising a boy in today’s society.

Michelle Obama has some advice for boy moms, even though she’s glad she was never one herself.

On the Wednesday episode of her podcast, “IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson,” which she hosts alongside her brother, the 61-year-old former First Lady offered some advice for those raising sons. 

“People say mothers raise their girls and love their sons,” said Obama, who shares two adult daughters, Malia and Sasha, with Barack. “And I’d say love your son, but raise him, too. Raise him to be as strong as, you know, he’s going to have to be.”

The topic came up as Obama, Robinson, and their guest Angie Martinez were discussing masculinity and the challenges of raising boys and young men in modern society. 

Obama also urged people, Black parents in particular, not just to prepare their sons for traffic stops but also to teach them how to communicate in a marriage, be a listening father, a compassionate neighbor, and a voting citizen. And to also be “somebody who’s going to pay attention and care about something outside of himself.”

“If you’re thinking about that human, then all these choices become a little more clear,” she said. “It’s about what he needs as a grown man in the world.”

Her perspective moved Martinez to suggest that Obama should have had a son, which the “Becoming” author immediately rebuffed. 

“I’m so glad I didn’t have a boy,” Obama exclaimed. “Because he would have been a ‘Barack Obama.’”

“Baby Barack — it would’ve been amazing!” Martinez gushed.

“Ooh, no, I would’ve felt for him,” the former president’s wife expressed. The Forever First Lady didn’t elaborate on what that meant leaving us to wonder: would the world be ready for another Barack Obama? We’ll never know!

It’s not the first time the topic of masculinity has come up during conversations on her podcast. In April, Obama, Robinson, and guest Jay Shetty discussed the pitfalls of modern dating from both the male and female perspectives. Robinson had suggested that not many women would have gone for a Barack type, someone still establishing themselves, the way she had in her 20s. While Obama partially agreed, she said ultimately people weren’t looking deep enough.

“​​There are a lot of people who aren’t looking deep enough, they aren’t thinking broadly enough about what makes for a good partner, and instead, we all just look at the superficial things” she said.