by Chrysa Smith

I was watching the inauguration—lots of interesting pomp and circumstance. And in one image of the ‘First Family’, it struck me: what’s the deal with the girls?

Sasha and Malia have now been White House residents for four years. And they’ve lived the life that goes along with it: Secret service. Closely guarded activities. Uncommon behavior for average girls their age. It all made me wonder.

Did the girls like their inauguration outfits? Pretty and demure for sure, but for girls of that certain age in this chronological age—–OMG! Give me a pair of skinny jeans and boots, some hoop earrings and a cool scarf and I’d be rocking it. At least, that’s what I assume the average girl would be thinking if not saying.

Did they get to carry their cell phones with them? Maybe they had to be turned off—put on ‘vibe’, left at home—or perhaps, as I suspect, they don’t have them due to security purposes—do they, like most kids their age whine: But why can’t I have one? Everyone has one!.

What happens while the Obamas are having coffee with congress? Do they get ushered off with Mrs. Robinson (Michele’s mom)and play Monopoly with granny? Or are they jumping on their computers playing Angry Birds, Words with Friends—or do they, again as I suspect, have a limited ability to play computer games—never mind Facebook.

I could just see it now—-Facebook comment: In Oval Office. What a drag!—-or—-Wish I could meet u at Starbucks, but security…. How utterly inconvenient.

College is not far off for the gals, and I don’t know about you, but I hate to have missed my younger teen years as a normal girl. Sure, there are the special memories that us common folk don’t have, but there are our special prank, joke, group antics that are so part of the experience of growing up. But then again, maybe there are Twister, mani/pedi or karaoke nights at the White House—we know there’s bowling.

I don’t know about you, but I think it would be much more cool to be a friend of a White House resident than to actually be one. So no worries. My desire to be anonymous has already been fulfilled. Hope the Obama girls get to experience that too at some point in their lives.