We have re-elected Barack Obama as POTUS. President Obama hails Michelle Obama (FLOTUS) as his rock and guiding light. Who does Michelle hail? FGOTUS Marian Robinson.
Robinson is Michelle’s mother, and the First Grandmother of the United States. Marian got her wish: to have her son-in-law re-elected to continue his work as President. A recent interview in Essence magazine stated:
44th President Barack Obama, daughters Sasha and Malia, First Lady Michelle Obama, and First Grandmother of the United States Marian Robinson.
“I admire how hard Barack works. And I know that he does it because he wants to make sure that this country is still a place where you can make it if you try. He wants to make sure that a college education is affordable and attainable so that all parents can encourage their kids to reach for it, just like Fraser and I did. He wants to make sure that moms and dads can provide for their families, and folks my age can retire with dignity and security. And he wants every child to believe that they can achieve their dreams, no matter where they come from, what they look like or how much money their parents make. That’s what makes him work so hard. I’ve seen it from him and I’ve heard it from him. And that’s why I’ll be voting for him in November, and I hope you do, too.”
The First Grandmother came to DC to help raise Malia and Sasha, the Obama girls. Now 13 and 11, they are growing rapidly into young ladies with their own lives. Will FGOTUS stay on for a second term? In the first months of the first term, there was discussion that Marian was in DC to help the girls get settled and take some of the parenting burden off the shoulders of the First Couple, and that she would eventually return to her home in Chicago.
But who wouldn’t want the help of extended family in raising kids? Raising teenagers is even harder, and Marian isn’t the first grandparent to take a very active role in family matters. According to the government, in 2010, 4.9 million children (7% of kids under age 18) lived in families headed by grandparents.
Mrs. Robinson, a retired bank secretary, is the first live-in grandmother since the 1950’s. She has another child, her son Craig, who is head basketball coach at Oregon. Mrs. Robinson has been quite a retiring FGOTUS, but the next four years may bring her out of her shell as navigates the teenage years with her grand-daughters. Power up, FGOTUS! We’re wishing you well!