Michelle Obama has shared a personal story about a parenting disagreement she had with her husband, former U.S. President Barack Obama, when their daughters were young.

In a recent episode of her Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast, recorded with her older brother Craig Robinson and featuring social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, the former First Lady recalled differing views on using the Ferber Method to help their daughters, Malia (26) and Sasha (24), learn to sleep on their own.

The Ferber Method, developed by Dr. Richard Ferber in 1985, is a sleep training technique that teaches babies to self-soothe by allowing them to cry for increasing intervals before receiving comfort.

Reflecting on her experience, Michelle admitted she was initially against the method.
“I didn’t want to do it,” she said. “Barack did it, and I don’t know that I could have — the idea of letting this little person I love just cry and cry was hard for me.”

She attributed part of her emotional resistance to the hormonal changes she was experiencing postpartum. Still, the couple agreed on a compromise: Barack would handle the nighttime routine.
“We set it up where Barack took the night shift. I went to bed — which helped because I got some sleep,” Michelle explained.

Despite her hesitation, Michelle gave the technique a try, albeit with difficulty. “I literally had to cover my ears while they cried,” she said. Ultimately, the method proved effective.
“It took less than a week. After the first two nights, because we started early, it worked,” she noted.

Michelle explained that one of her daughters was around four or five months old and had just been weaned when they began the sleep training.
“It was very early, so she learned quickly. The sooner you begin removing the symptom, the faster the child responds.”

In a lighter moment from a previous episode, Michelle also remarked that she’s “so glad” she didn’t have sons. When guest Angie Martinez asked why the Obamas never tried for a boy, Michelle quipped: “Because he would’ve been a Barack Obama!” She added that she would have felt sympathy for the child living in his father’s shadow.

The candid conversation offered a glimpse into the Obamas’ parenting journey — filled with love, tough decisions, and the compromises that come with raising children together.