Michelle Obama Misses Life Without Commentary

First Lady Michelle Obama, (R) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) arrive for the unveiling ceremony for the bust of Sojourner Truth in the U.S. Captiol Visitors Center April 28, 2009 in Washington, DC. Sojourner Truth was an 19th century American slave, abolitionist, and women's rights activist who is best-known for her speech, "Ain't I a Woman?" (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)more pics »First lady Michelle Obama misses life without the constant commentary, but says she does what works for her since there's always someone who thinks she could have done something better.

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In the latest issue of Time magazine, Mrs. Obama says it's difficult to watch her husband, President Barack Obama, burdened by the world's problems, and that White House life has been the "greatest single benefit" for her family.

She also revealed the most unexpected bit of advice from her predecessors: go to Camp David early and often.

"It's just one place you can go where you're completely ... where you feel some level of freedom and an ability to breathe," she said of the presidential retreat in Maryland, in an interview for the magazine's cover story. "I think every single first lady felt that that was an important resource, an important thing for the health of the family."

Mrs. Obama and daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, have visited Camp David three times, including a weeklong stay during spring break in April.

Asked what she missed of her life before she became a public person, she said the anonymity.

Michelle Obama is known for her warm receptions. (Getty Images)
"It's a lot easier to live your life when everything you do doesn't have a consequence," or is talked about, she said. "It's the anonymity of just living your life and making choices and decisions, and moving through the world without sort of constant commentary. That was nice."

Mrs. Obama said she realizes chatter is part of the process, but said it hasn't changed her or her choices.

Her personal philosophy "is that in life you've got to make choices that make sense for you, because there's always going to be somebody who'll think you should do something differently," she said.

"So you might as well start with what you like, and what you care about, what your passions are, what makes sense," Mrs. Obama said. Her "message to women" is to "find your space. Find your spot. Wear what you love. Choose the careers that may have meaning to you, because there's always somebody who will say, 'I wouldn't have worn that color,' or 'Why didn't you work at that job?'"

She said it's a "tough thing to watch" Obama deal with the world's problems. But he is "capable and competent" and she doesn't worry.

"I rest easy that he's in the White House," Mrs. Obama said. "So it makes it easier for me, because I figure I can turn it off; he can't."

White House life means Malia and Sasha now see their dad practically every day, which wasn't the case for most of their lives, she said. Obama was a five-hour drive away from their Chicago home when he served in the Illinois state Senate in Springfield, before he became a U.S. senator and spent weekdays in Washington. Then came two years of coast-to-coast presidential campaigning.

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