Michelle Obama Surprised that Daughters Prefer to Skip White House Sleepovers

You’d think that growing up in the White House would provide the perfect backdrop for fun-filled sleepovers, but according to First Lady Michelle Obama, her daughters Malia and Sasha would much rather pack their sleeping bag and head to their friends’ houses.

“My kids are like every other kid in the sense that everybody else’s house is more interesting than their house,” Mrs. Obama said Thursday during a Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day roundtable for her Let’s Move! initiative.

Malia and Sasha’s apathy for inviting friends over to the White House came as a shock to First Lady Obama. “I thought I would have kids over every weekend,” Obama admits. “So it’s surprising.”

It’s not surprising, however, that Malia and Sasha look up to their parents as role models, revealed Mrs. O.

“I think in the end our kids look up to us, first and foremost, whether they admit it or not. We are our kids’ first and best role models,” First Lady Obama told PEOPLE.