President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama together in a freight elevator at an Inaugural Ball, January 20, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Pete Souza/White House via Getty Images)
First lady Michelle Obama is making headlines again this week, this time for sharing secrets about her intimate time with President Obama. In her latest interview with People magazine, Michelle revealed that she would not want to be caught dead in a bathing suit, and that if she could be anybody else in the world, it would be Beyoncé. But the most heart-warming comment of all? The first lady revealed the simple daily rituals that she and her husband share to keep their love alive. The details will bring you to tears.
“We have a ritual where he tucks me in, because I’m usually in bed before anybody,” Mrs. Obama told People magazine. “He’ll come and turn the lights out and give me a kiss and we’ll talk. He’s like, ‘Ready to be tucked?’ I’m like, ‘Yes I am.’”
Michelle also revealed that, while she and Barack don’t have a lot of time to spend together, they make the most of every day by having firmly established patterns for simple but binding behaviors like eating dinner as a family.
“We live above the store, which means 6:30 pm is dinner,” she told the publication. “The first half hour, we’re talking to the girls, then we shoo them off to go walk Bo and catch a little check-in without the kids.”
The first couple is right on track in using these methods to maintain their love.
“When love becomes a high priority in a marriage, it is taken care of and nurtured daily,” writer Patty Apostolides said in a recent article on blackloveandmarriage.com. “The resulting love rewards you by growing into a more mature, mellow, committed feeling, and when tested, rises up to meet the challenge.”
Apostolides’ recommendations for keeping romance alive in solid commitments involving many responsibilities include lots of communication and setting aside time to “date” — even if it’s at home.
Simple gestures of daily affection like those Michelle Obama describes are also a key.
“Romance is the opportunity to show your loved one how special he/she is to you,” Apostolides writes. “It means taking the time for them, and making time, even if you don’t have it.”
It seems that President and first lady Obama have become masters at squeezing in personal moments of love despite being two of the busiest people in the world.
Follow Alexis Garrett Stodghill on Twitter at @lexisb
