CHICAGO — Barack Obama’s 10-year-old daughter, Malia, is looking forward to decorating her new room, and already there is talk of sleepovers at the White House.
Michelle Obama has turned her attention to schools, asking Washington staff members and friends about what might be the best fit for Malia and 7-year-old Sasha.
And Grandma, a lifelong Chicago resident, is preparing to pick up and move to Washington to help shuttle the girls to soccer games and recitals.
Since Election Day, much of the attention has been on the government transition, but there is family transition unfolding too, as the president- elect, his wife and daughters prepare for life at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
They will be putting their lives in boxes and adjusting like any other family set for a big move, except they will be doing it under the eye of the media and the Secret Service.
Before the election, 71-year-old Marian Robinson, Michelle’s mother, told The Associated Press that she would be a big part of keeping her granddaughters grounded.
“I will do whatever Michelle needs simply because I know how important it is for her to see that the children . . . still have discipline and still have things that children do at their disposal,” Robinson said. She plans to move to Washington, though the timing and where she will live remain unclear.
The Obamas worked hard during the campaign to make sure life stayed as normal as possible for their girls. They plan to keep their Chicago home, a $1.65 million mansion in a well-to-do South Side neighborhood near the University of Chicago.
To prepare the girls for the big move, the Obamas had talked to them about what would happen if their father won the presidency. The girls had plenty of questions, including whether they would get to decorate their own rooms in the White House. (The answer is yes.)
Their parents encouraged them to talk to their cousins, ages 14 and 11, about what it’s like to move, start at a new school and make new friends.
The family plans for the Obama girls to keep up a full schedule of their favorite activities. For Malia, that includes acting and soccer, while Sasha loves singing, dancing, playing the piano and tennis.
