She’s just like us! Our forever first lady Michelle Obama revealed how she and her family were adjusting to social distancing while the world continues to battle the novel coronavirus.
During a call with daytime talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, the mother of two revealed that her daughters, Sasha and Malia, returned home from college, now that schools are closed, and the family is set on getting into a new routine.
“We’re just trying to structure our days,” she said. “We’re just trying to, you know, just keep a routine going. But we also got a little Netflix and chilling happening.”
“Everybody’s home. The girls are back because colleges are now online. So they’re off in their respective rooms doing their online classes and I think Barack is—I don’t know where he is. He was on the phone on a conference call. I just got finished with a conference call.”
The bestselling author is one of many parents getting used to their college-aged children coming home due to the pandemic. DeGeneres jokingly expressed her condolences that her daughters were back not long after leaving the nest.
“Because you were expressing how happy you were that they were gone,” she said.
“I know. I know,” Obama replied. “I shouldn’t have boasted about that. The gods were getting me back. They’re back!”
Mrs. Obama clearly enjoyed the check-in from DeGeneres. She shared the video on Instagram, with the caption: “Thanks for the call, Ellen! [It] always brightens my day to get a call from my friend Ellen, especially on this rainy Monday at home.”
“Practicing social distancing can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to mean feeling isolated and alone. When I start getting a little restless, I know that picking up the phone and calling a loved one can do wonders to calm my mood and lift my spirits,” she added.
During her chat, Mrs. Obama also expressed empathy for those financially impacted by the novel coronavirus, and pointed out that the unprecedented shift in our day-to-day activities provided an opportunity to rethink priorities.
“I feel for all the folks who are going to suffer because of what’s going to happen to the economy and we have to be mindful about what we’re going to do to support those folks when this quarantine is over,” she said, “and people are looking at what’s left of their businesses and their lives.”
“But on the positive side,” she continued, “I know for us, it’s forced us to continue to sit down with each other, have real conversations, really ask questions and figure out how to keep ourselves occupied without just TV or computers.”
She touched on being grateful that her whole family was healthy.
“When times are bad, having each other, having your health, we can do with a lot less. And I think that’s an important lesson I want my kids to understand as they get out there in the world–be grateful for what you have and be ready to share it when the time comes.”
