--- description: Barbara and Jenna Bush wrote Malia and Sasha Obama a letter about life during and after the White House title: The Bush Sisters Write a New Letter to the Obama Daughters image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt72e8179ab447e0ed/6988b5300a4a2255d99cc879/bush-sisters.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Bush Sisters Wrote the Obama Girls A Letter by [Barbara Bush](/author/barbara-bush/) and [Jenna Bush Hager](/author/jenna-bush-hager/) Jan 12, 2017 10:00 PM CUT  Jenna Bush-Hager and Barbara Bush attend the George W. Bush and Laura Bush Portrait unveiling at the White House on May 31, 2012 in Washington, DC. Jenna Bush-Hager and Barbara Bush attend the George W. Bush and Laura Bush Portrait unveiling at the White House on May 31, 2012 in Washington, DC.Leigh Vogel—Getty Images by [Barbara Bush](/author/barbara-bush/) and [Jenna Bush Hager](/author/jenna-bush-hager/) Jan 12, 2017 10:00 PM CUT Malia and Sasha, [eight years ago](http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123239885943895155 "undefined") on a cold November day, we greeted you on the steps of the White House. We saw both the light and wariness in your eyes as you gazed at your new home. We left our jobs in Baltimore and New York early and traveled to Washington to show you around. To show you the Lincoln Bedroom, and the bedrooms that were once ours, to introduce you to all the people—the florists, the grounds-keepers and the butlers—who dedicate themselves to making this historic house a home. The four of us wandered the majestic halls of the house you had no choice but to move in to. When you slid down the banister of the solarium, just as we had done as 8-year-olds and again as 20-year-olds chasing our youth, your joy and laughter were contagious. In eight years, you have done so much. Seen so much. You stood at the gates of the Robben Island cell where South Africa’s Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for decades, your arms around your father. You traveled to Liberia and Morocco with your mom to talk with girls about the importance of education—girls who saw themselves in you, saw themselves in your parents, saw who they could become if they continued to study and learn. You attended state dinners, hiked in national parks, met international leaders and managed to laugh at your dad’s jokes during the annual Thanksgiving turkey pardon, all while being kids, attending school and making friends. We have watched you grow from girls to impressive young women with grace and ease. And through it all [you had each other](http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/jenna-bush-hager-fiercely-protective-obama-daughters-article-1.2033353 "undefined"). Just like we did. Now you are about to join another rarified club, one of former First Children—a position you didn’t seek and one with no guidelines. But you have so much to look forward to. You will be writing the story of your lives, beyond the shadow of your famous parents, yet you will always carry with you the experiences of the past eight years. [**Read** **_Life at 1600: Advice from Team Obama to Team Trump_**](http://time.com/white-house-interviews/ "undefined") Never forget the wonderful people who work at the White House. Our greeter as 7-year-olds at our [grandfather’s](http://www.nbcnews.com/news/other/jenna-bush-hager-being-kid-inauguration-was-magical-v16624103 "undefined") Inauguration was Nancy, the White House florist, who ushered us in from the cold. She helped us make colorful bouquets of winter flowers for our grandparents’ bedside. Twenty years later, Nancy did the flowers for Jenna’s wedding. Cherish your own Nancy. We stay in touch with our Secret Service. They were part of growing up for us: there for first dates, first days and even an engagement and a honeymoon. We know it wasn’t always easy—the two of you and the two of us were teenagers trailed by men in backpacks—but they put their lives on hold for us. Enjoy college. As most of the world knows, we did. And you won’t have the weight of the world on your young shoulders anymore. Explore your passions. Learn who you are. Make mistakes—you are allowed to. Continue to surround yourself with loyal friends who know you, adore you and will fiercely protect you. Those who judge you don’t love you, and their voices shouldn’t hold weight. Rather, it’s your own hearts that matter. ### Growing Up Obama: Malia and Sasha Through the Years  Then-candidate for the U.S. Senate Barack Obama celebrates with his daughters Malia and Sasha and wife Michelle during a victory party in Chicago on Nov. 2, 2004. Scott Olson—Getty Images  Then-Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama, his wife Michelle and two daughters Sasha, 6, and Malia, 9, play cards in their RV on a campaign swing between Oskaloosa and Pella, Iowa, on July 4, 2007. Charles Ommanney—Getty Images  Then-Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama is welcomed by his wife Michelle and daughters Malia, 11 and Sasha, 7, upon landing in Pueblo, Colorado, on Nov. 01, 2008. Emmanuel Dunand—AFP/Getty Images  Malia and Sasha Obama see their parents off at the airport in Denver, CO, on Aug. 29, 2008. Callie Shell—Aurora for Time  Sasha and Malia attend the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2009. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, daughters Sasha and Malia, attend the Christmas in Washington taping at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC, on Dec. 11, 2011. Pete Souza—The White House  President Obama and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, watch on television as First Lady Michelle Obama takes the stage to deliver her speech at the Democratic National Convention, in the Treaty Room of the White House, on Sept. 4, 2012. Pete Souza—The White House  Malia and Sasha arrive during the presidential inauguration on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on Jan. 21, 2013. Win McNamee—Getty Images  President Obama and his daughters Malia and Sasha look at "Mac" the turkey in the East Room prior to the annual National Thanksgiving Turkey pardon ceremony at the White House, on Nov. 26, 2016. Pete Souza—The White House  Sasha and Malia Obama read fairy tales to children at the United States and Nato military base in Vicenza on June 19, 2015. Andreas Solaro—AFP/Getty Images  Malia and Sasha walk to a helicopter while looking back at their parents at Roswell International Air Center in Roswell, New Mexico, on June 17, 2016. Brendan Smialowski—AFP/Getty Images  President Obama hugs his daughter Malia following his farewell speech to the nation in Chicago, on Jan. 10, 2017. Scott Olson—Getty Images Take all that you have seen, the people you have met, the lessons you have learned, and let that help guide you in making positive change. We have no doubt you will. Traveling with our parents taught us more than any class could. It opened our eyes to new people as well as new cultures and ideas. We met factory workers in Michigan, teachers in California, doctors healing people on the Burmese border, kids who lined the dusty streets of Kampala to see the American President, and kids with HIV waiting to get the antiretroviral drugs that would save their lives. One tiny girl wearing her finest lavender dress looked young, which she was not. She was little because she was sick. Her mom admitted that she might not live to see these drugs work, but her brothers and sisters would. After meeting this girl, Barbara went back to school and changed her major, and her life’s path. You have lived through the unbelievable pressure of the White House. You have listened to harsh criticism of your parents by people who had never even met them. You stood by as your precious parents were reduced to headlines. Your parents, who put you first and who not only showed you but gave you the world. As always, they will be rooting for you as you begin your next chapter. And so will we. _Barbara Bush is a co-founder and the CEO of Global Health Corps. 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