Remarks by The First Lady at Take Your Child to Work Day Event
10:36 A.M. EDT
MRS. OBAMA: Hi, guys! How are you? It’s good to see you. How are you guys doing? Hi. It’s Bo! All right, so Bo is the highlight of the visit today. All right, come on, Bo, come on. Bo, Bo, come on, come on, come on. All right. Okay, I'll make sure he gets to come around to everybody. Bo, sit down, stay.
Hey, how is everybody doing?
AUDIENCE: Good!
MRS. OBAMA: That's good. Well, welcome to the White House. How many guys -- of you guys have done this -- did you do this last year? That's good.
So we’re going to make this much more informal than we did last year. I mean, in the last year I talked a little bit, and then you got to ask questions, but the truth is, is that it’s more interesting to talk and answer your questions. So we’re going to do that today.
But let me just welcome you all today. This is an important day for all of us because your parents spend so much time here helping me and the President, and we know that a lot of times they do it because you all make the sacrifices to be here. You guys are helping us just as much as your parents are. So first of all I just want to say thank you. Thank you for being patient and making sure that you’re doing what you’re supposed to do at home so that your parents can do what they need to do here.
Sit down, Bo.
So let’s just start. Do you guys have questions? Why don’t we start with questions.
All right, you in the front.
Q Do you like living in the White House?
MRS. OBAMA: The question is: Do I like living in the White House? And yes, it’s fun living in the White House.
(Bo barks.) (Laughter.) Bo likes it, too. Bo likes living in the White House, too. Some of the most fun parts about living in the White House is getting to share the house with so many people. I mean, we have thousands of people who come here every month just to visit, and it’s really fun to meet a lot of people and to make sure that they feel like this house is special for them, and to share it with everybody else. So it’s been a lot of fun. There are a lot of good things about it.
All right, let’s get a hand. You, young man, in the blue shirt. Yes, you, blue shirt.
Q How does it feel --
MRS. OBAMA: We’ve got a mic. Do we have a mic, too, so that everybody can hear your question?
Q How does it feel being the First Lady?
MRS. OBAMA: How does it feel being the First Lady? I think it feels like being me, you know? You don't change as a person just because you have a different job, you know? So what’s your name?
Q Isaiah.
MRS. OBAMA: Isaiah. So you know how you feel, Isaiah, right? And you feel that way whether you’re at home or at school or at the park or whether you’re with your friends. It’s like you’re always Isaiah, right?
So I think I feel the same way, too. I still feel like who I am; that, you know, I got to take care of my kids and I want to do a good job as First Lady. I want to make sure that I’m making my country proud. But I still feel like me. Does that make sense? All right.
All right, in the aqua blue, pigtails, hands up.
Q Since it’s Earth Day today, what are you doing?
MRS. OBAMA: Say that again?
Q What are you doing for Earth Day?
MRS. OBAMA: For Earth Day. Oh, I think we’re having a reception this evening. Sometimes it’s hard for me to keep up with all the things that we’re doing. There’s a reception here this evening for Earth Day.
And Sasha brought home some energy-efficient bulbs that we have to put in the house. So we’re going to do some bulb replacement. All right?
All right, you right there.
Q Do you miss Chicago?
MRS. OBAMA: You know, the question, do I miss Chicago -- yeah, there are some things that I miss about Chicago. I miss -- but I think the things that I miss about Chicago are the things that I would miss anywhere. And one of the things that the President and I can’t do is sort of just walk down the street by ourselves, you