Michelle Obama has shared that she and her husband, former US President Barack Obama, experienced a disagreement regarding the use of a specific parenting technique with their daughters during their younger years.
In a recent episode of the former first lady’s IMO podcast, which she co-hosted with her older brother Craig Robinson, they engaged in a conversation with social psychologist Jonathan Haidt about the application of the Ferber method on their children.
The Ferber Method, popularized in 1985 by Dr. Richard Ferber, is a strategy designed to help babies learn to self-soothe during sleep, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
While Haidt recounted his experience using the Ferber method with his own son, Michelle revealed that she and Barack had differing views on applying this technique to their daughters, Malia, 26, and Sasha, 24.
“I was not in favor of it,” Michelle expressed. “Barack went ahead with it, and I’m not sure I could have done it because I was uncertain about the idea of letting the little person you love cry and cry.”
She admitted to grappling with the thought of allowing her children to cry, attributing her emotional response to her postpartum estrogen levels. “We arranged it so that Barack took the night shift. I went to bed, which was beneficial because it allowed me to get some rest,” the author of Becoming shared.
Michelle mentioned that she had to cover her ears while her children cried to give the method a fair shot. Ultimately, the Ferber method proved effective for the couple in a short time.
“It took no longer than a week for the method to show results, and it was really after the first two nights, as we started early,” she noted.
The former first lady clarified that her choice to adopt the Ferber method was made after one of her daughters was weaned from breastfeeding at around four or five months old.
"She picked things up quickly since it was quite early," Michelle stated. "The earlier you begin to address the symptom, the faster you can take action, and the more responsive the child will be right away."
Last week on her podcast, Michelle expressed her happiness that none of her children are boys. When her guest, radio host Angie Martinez, inquired why she and her husband didn’t aim for a son to balance their two daughters, Michelle responded: "Because he would’ve been a Barack Obama!"
Martinez remarked that a "baby Barack" would have been "incredible," to which the former First Lady replied that she "would’ve felt for him," alluding to the imagined son being discussed.