Obama to Sasha and Malia: Strive for high ideals

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Barack Obama, in an open letter to daughters Malia and Sasha, says he hopes they can "grow up in a world with no limits on your dreams and no achievements beyond your reach."

In the letter signed "Love, Dad," and printed in weekend editions of Parade magazine, Obama gives some family insights as he prepares to take the oath of office as the 44th — and first African-American — president of the United States.

"When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me, about how I'd make my way in the world, become successful and get the things I want," he wrote. "But then the two of you came into my world with all your curiosity and mischief and those smiles that never fail to fill my heart and light up my day."

"And I realized that my own life wouldn't count for much unless I was able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfillment in yours," he said.

Obama to Sasha and Malia: Strive for high ideals....

The Obama Girls Will Be Fine, But What About Other Children?

By: Tonyaa Weathersbee

For the Obama girls, moving from the fish pond that was the Windy City into the fishbowl of the White House won’t be easy.

But I’m not worried.

Why? Because Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, already have enough anchors to keep them moored in waters that are bound to be stirred up by the glare of publicity or the growing pains of childhood and adolescence.

It’s also probably a safe bet that their mother, Michelle, and their father, President-elect Barack Obama, have probably talked to them about what it means to be the nation’s first black First Daughters.

They probably know that like their father, they’ll be role models for millions of children. Their parents probably know they’ll also be targets for tasteless, Don Imus-types who’ll be salivating for them to validate stereotypes rather than defy them.

Michelle and Barack have probably prepared their girls for all this. So I’m not too worried about Malia and Sasha.

They’ll be fine.

I do, however, continue to worry about the scores of black children in America today who aren’t as lucky as the Obama girls.

These are the children who don’t have to survive being in the media spotlight, but have to struggle with the social isolation that hobbles their progress early in life.

Social isolation is what happens to children who live in concentrated poverty. It’s the thing that causes black children to do things like fight over one cookie instead of asking the teacher for more; because that’s the way they’ve learned to assert themselves in a world where survival is about aggression, not compromise.

Social isolation afflicts many poor, black teenagers as well.

COMMENTARY....

Kids interviewed on TV, to Obama's later regret

By DAVID BAUDER – 15 hours ago

NEW YORK (AP) — It's the interview scoop that quickly gave Barack Obama second thoughts, and not because it revealed he leaves his suitcase where his children can trip over it.

The "Access Hollywood" interview in which Obama and wife Michelle allowed daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, to participate opened a curtain on a potential president's family and raised questions about whether the girls should be "hands off" for the media.

Although their parents did most of the talking and the girls mostly looked like they'd rather be going out for ice cream, Obama later said he and his wife got carried away in agreeing to it.

"I don't think it's healthy and it's something that we'll be avoiding in the future," Obama said Wednesday on "Good Morning America."

Rob Silverstein wishes Obama hadn't said that. The "Access Hollywood" executive producer believes Obama has nothing to regret.

Kids interviewed on TV, to Obama's later regret....