Michelle and Barack's grounded parenting style was a means of protecting their daughters and making sure that their children were equipped to face a world that would not always treat them kindly . As the first Black First Children, Malia and Sasha couldn't afford to be spoiled or to misbehave in our outside of the White House; the scrutiny that they would face because of their parents would be much harsher than that of their predecessors. Realistically speaking, the Obamas likely would not have been able to bounce back from a public scandal like that of the Bush twins Jenna and Barbara during their father's presidency. The rules were just different for them.