How normal will life be for Obama's famous tweens?

[babylonsister]

How normal will life be for Obama's famous tweens?

By JOCELYN NOVECK
AP National Writer


NEW YORK (AP) -- They're only 10 and 7, and already designers are angling to dress them. They've been on the cover of People and Us Weekly. And there's that standing invitation - unlikely though it is to be redeemed - to the set of "Hannah Montana."

Malia and Sasha Obama are unquestionably the world's most famous tweens, and they haven't even moved into the White House yet. When they arrive, do they have even a chance at the normal existence their parents have often said they want for them?

A look at history suggests that the media, at least, will keep their distance. Chelsea Clinton, 13 when she entered the White House, was largely left alone at the request of her parents. Amy Carter, who came at age 9, was allowed to live a fairly normal life. And the much younger Kennedy kids were kept from the public glare by their mother, Jackie, who even set up a school for Caroline at the White House.

But this is a different world, one where photos and video can be snapped not just by mainstream photographers but anyone with a cell phone, and uploaded to the Web within minutes. It's also a world where kids, now a powerful consumer force, eagerly devour news about celebrities closer to their own age: Miley Cyrus, for example, or the "High School Musical" bunch.

Are the Obama girls celebrities in their own right? "If you're talking about people who fascinate the public, then yes, absolutely," says Larry Hackett, managing editor of People, which has featured the Obama family on its cover three times. "But if you mean celebrity in the sense that we can cover their every move, then no. These are kids."

more...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OBAMAS_GIRLS?SITE=CONGRA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[firedupdem]

1. I hope they are left alone but with the paparazzi the way they are

now and the fact that most people really love and admire this family....they probably won't get as much privacy as former white house kids have.

While I enjoy seeing all the pictures...there is a part of me wishing they would be given a break.
:shrug:

[bluestateguy]

2. It has been many years since we had kids this young in the White House

The media did not respect Amy Carter's privacy. They did so for Chelsea Clinton. I wondering what they will do now, as we have a much more impulsive media than was the case 30 years ago.

[marimour]

3. it scares me to think of what their life might be like.

I believe there will be paparazzi stalking that school

[Undercurrent]

4. ?

A 7 year old is now a tween? Traditionally a tween is between 9 and 12.

[Karenina]

5. It will be THEIR "normal."

I'm confident their parents will guide them well in handling it.

[ClarkUSA]

6. They will live a gilded existence all their lives... never knowing what it is to be "normal" again.

That's my prediction, anyway.

[AtomicKitten]

7. I believe this will not change any of the Obamas in a fundamental way.

The experience is singular and will be rich. But if I learned nothing else during the campaign, I learned the Obamas know who they are and will envelope their children within that reality.

[gblady]

8. I tend to....

agree with you. The Obamas seem to have their priorities very solidly in place...
and their girls having some semblance of normalcy seems to be a strong one.

Malia and Sasha have been in public life most or all of their lives...
and from what I can tell, seem to be handling it very well.

[fed_up_mother]

9. Seven and ten year olds. Tweens?

Gosh, where have I been? I thought tweens were eleven and twelve year olds. A tween at seven?

[Tarheel_Dem]

10. Thanks to their gene pool, the Obama girls will likely be sought after

both because of their parentage, but because they are both cuties, and very photogenic. I think Sasha, the family ham, will especially be sought after. I just hope the SS is up to the task.