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mrs. obama: thank you, everyone. thank youso much. all right, everyone, take a seat, and have a glass of wine -- (laughter) -- allright, because i'm going to sell you guys out. (laughter.) they were passing arounda little glass, and i was like, what's that? (laughter.) so please feel free. don't waittill i leave when the desserts come out to get the wine. (laughter.) i'm really thrilled to be here. thank you,holly, for your kind introduction and for your support of our air force families andfor all the work that you've done to put together this luncheon, as well as the entire committee.i know that it's hard enough to pull off something like this, but then you invite the first lady--and all my stuff -- (laughter) -- and it

becomes a little bit harder. but this is absolutelywonderful. i've had a great time, and i'm just thrilled to be here. so again let's giveholly and the entire committee a big round of applause for all the work that they'vedone. (applause.) and i'm going to be especially nice to hollybecause her husband commands the air force district of washington. so he not only keepsthe skies of washington safe, but he's responsible for when my husband comes back on air forceone. (laughter.) so holly, you and me, we've got to get together -- (laughter) -- and getthis thing worked out. but it's really an honor to be here with allof you. i also want to thank elizabeth biddle for the invocation, as well as the beautifulrendition of the national anthem. i want to

thank all of you at jafowl, the committee,for this, you know, just wonderful invitation and for bringing us all together. as we saw earlier, doing the medley, whichyou all got really fired up about, i like that -- (laughter) -- we see that army, navy,air force, marines, coast guard -- active, guard and reserve ã±- we all are one forceand we're all one family. and you always feel it when you're in a room full of wonderfulspouses. and it's also great to see so many familiarfaces, people that i've worked with over the course of the year -- becky, deborah, mary,sandee and others, all the wives of the joint chiefs of staff -- women who do so much forour military families and who i'm very proud

to call my friends. in fact, we just had a few of you guys overfor dinner last week. we had the joint chiefs, the combatant commanders and their spousesover for dinner a few weeks ago at the white house. and it was a wonderful evening, veryinspiring, because we shared the evening with several wounded warriors. so it was wonderfulto have you at my home, and i'm happy that we're switching the tables today. now, i know this is the joint armed forcesofficersã­ wivesã­ club, but today i want to start by thanking you, not simply becauseof who you're married to, but because of what you do every day, because of the spirit ofservice that's defined your entire lives.

you all are truly leaders in your own right.and i don't know if you hear that enough, but it's real. you are the vital link betweenyour husbands and the troops they command, making sure their needs and those of theirfamilies are heard and met. you're often that mom away from home, the person that othermilitary wives go to for advice and support. and it's always amazing because you do allof this for other families even as your own families serve. for that alone, you all deservethis nation's unending gratitude. but, you not only provide support to yourhusbands and to other families. many of you have also watched your own sons and daughtersput on the uniform and go into harm's way. and you've experienced all the emotions thatcome with that -- all the worries, all the

anxieties, but also that incredible pride. so i want to particularly thank all of theblue star moms who are here today, and i'd like to have you all stand. thank you. (applause.) and i also want to salute another remarkablegroup of women who i know here today -- the women, who for nearly 40 years, have madesure that no american is ever buried alone at arlington national cemetery. please joinme in thanking the arlington ladies. please stand, ladies. (applause.) and finally, some of you not only marriedsomeone in uniform, but we sometimes don't remember that many of you also wore a uniformyourself. you volunteered, you served, you

defended our freedoms. so, please, would allthe women who served in the armed forces please stand and be recognized. yay! (applause.)to all of you, thank you. thank you for your service to this country. so the president and i, as you've heard, andour daughters, we've been in the white house for a year now. (laughter.) it's been a year.as a mom, i often say my priority this year has really been the girls -- making sure thatthey make this transition smoothly -- as smoothly as possible. i mean, you think about it, theselittle girls, they've had to get adjusted to a new city, a new house -- it's a nicehouse, but it's still a new house -- (laughter) -- to a new school and new friends.

and so when people ask me what i'm most proudof this first year, i usually give them two responses. i usually say, first, as a motheri am most proud that our two girls have made that adjustment and they've built a new lifehere and are happy and healthy, and as i say, as normal as they could possibly be underthese circumstances. i joke that i still recognize them. (laughter.) so that's a good thing. then the other response is as first lady.and i tell people that at the top of the list of priorities that i've had over this year,it's been the time that i have spent highlighting the service of our incredible military families. and that's what i want to talk about todaywith you. i want to talk about what you do

for america and also what america needs todo for all of you. from day one, this has been a mission of mine,along with the vice president's wife, dr. jill biden -- my dear, dear friend and a bluestar mom herself -- who has been a tireless advocate in support of our extraordinary nationalguard and reserve members and their families. jill and i have been working hard on this.one of the first things that we wanted to do was to first listen and learn. so with many of you we had a series of roundtablediscussions -- thank you all -- with our military spouses. we met with deborah and sandee andother wives of the joint chiefs to get their advice and guidance on how to develop ourinitiatives, and that was incredibly helpful.

we also met with the senior enlisted advisors'wives to discuss what's working in the ranks and what also could be improved. these conversations gave jill and i just reallycritical guidance and insight for what would be our subsequent visits to bases and militarycommunities around the country. and as i think back on all the incredibleexperiences of this past year -- and we have had many -- i've met the queen, the pope -- we'vedone a lot -- (laughter) -- i have to say that those visits to the military bases havebeen one of my greatest privileges as first lady, truly. through these interactions thatwe've had, i've gained an even greater level of respect and gratitude for our troops andtheir amazing families. it is a sight to see.

i remember visiting the soldiers and theirfamilies at fort bragg, one of my first visits with charlene austin -- and we were just talkingabout that. she hosted me for my first visits. and there i saw firsthand the toll that thesewars have taken on these soldiers who have carried so much of the burden of the warsin iraq and afghanistan. i will never forget the families that thepresident and i met at fort hood after suffering such a horrible tragedy. they showed us incrediblestrength -- the strength that binds army families together. i remember the sailors and theirfamilies at norfolk, and what a thrill it was for me to share their excitement as wewelcomed home the crew of the aircraft carrier, the uss eisenhower, and the hospital shipcomfort. they were coming back from treating

patients and delivering health care and humanitarianassistance across the americas, including haiti. and as we all know, only after a few shortmonths at home, the comfort is back in haiti, along with many other branches of our military,delivering aid with their civilian counterparts, helping the haitian people, and all the whileshowing the very best of america and making us all so proud. i remember visiting the airmen and women andtheir families at eglin air force base where some of the pilots and crew had just returnedfrom iraq; it was their sixth deployment in as many years.

i think of the coast guardsmen and women whowill serve aboard the new cutter that i am proud to sponsor, the stratton, which honorscommander dorothy stratton, who led the spars during world war ii. (applause.) and i can never forget our marines, who area part of our daily lives at the white house in a very special way. and we see them displaythe same professionalism in our home every single day that defines their service aroundthe world. they are a joy to have in our lives. and then we can never forget our wounded warriors-- the inspirational men and women that the president and i have welcomed to the whitehouse and those we have met all around the country.

unfortunately for too many of them, the battlecontinues even after they come home. they are the servicemen that i met at a va hospitalin the bronx, working so hard to get back on their feet, and in some cases to get backto their units. that's all they cared about. they're the patriots like the young navy sealwho joined us at the joint chiefs dinner last week at the white house. this young man attendedthe dinner with his little sister. i got to sit next to them. she was a nurse who movedto washington to care for her brother -- left her career behind. and he explained to mehow he stepped on an ied in afghanistan and lost both of his legs. then just four monthslater he finished a half-marathon. the courage -- yes -- (applause) -- the courage and theoptimism of both he and his sister was breathtaking.

their continued love of life and of countrywas something to behold. and i will always remember all of the wivesand husbands, all the moms and the dads that the president and i have met at arlingtonon memorial day and veterans day and all around the country -- spouses who've lost their bestfriend in the world; parents who have laid their children to rest. and as a wife, as a mother, i simply cannotimagine the depths of their pain and loss. yet every time i meet them, they show a strengthand a resolve that always leaves me in awe. their sacrifice reminds us all that our menand women in uniform, as well as their families, are our nation's greatest military asset.

so at every one of these visits that i'vehad, collecting these memories, my goal has been simple. first, to listen. listen to thosevoices, listen to those concerns, listen to those needs. the second goal is to share what i've heardwith a team of dedicated leaders who also care deeply about military families -- fromthe president, the vice president, to secretary gates, to admiral mullen, to leaders downthe chain of command. these people care deeply. and finally, my goal has been to work hardto ensure that the concerns and needs that we hear actually lead to some real changecoming out of washington, because the quality of the lives of our military and their familiesmeans a great deal, because in the history

of our all-volunteer force, we have neverasked so much of so few. we've seen the huge burden of eight yearsof war on our troops -- tour after tour, year after year, missing out on moments that everyparent treasures: a baby's first steps, the first words, the day the training wheel comesoff the bike, birthdays, anniversaries. we've seen the sacrifices of families on thehome front -- spouses back home left to do the parenting of two, juggling play datesand ballet recitals and practices; keeping the household together all on their own; holdingdown jobs -- all the while trying to hide their own fear and worries when the kids lookup and ask when mommy or daddy are coming home.

and somehow despite everything that's goingon in your lives, military families still find the time to serve others -- coachinglittle league, running the pta, making christmas special for kids with toys for tots, volunteeringat churches and hospitals, mentoring young people, being role models in your own right.you just keep on serving -- keep on serving your communities, keep on serving this country. and all of you, our troops and families, youdo your duty and you do it without complaint. no complaint here, right? (laughter.) yougive your all and ask very little in return, only that we back you up so our troops cando their job. that's why my husband and his administrationhave worked to do right by our armed forces

and their families; to be there for you likeyou have been there for us; to lighten your load as you have lightened all of ours. because of your willingness to advocate forchange, all of you here, some really important progress has been made in just one year. deborah-- deborah mullen -- has been telling me ever since we met that just like our troops, ourspouses also need the very best support and counseling. many of you share the need toreduce the stress of long deployments and to give our troops more time home betweendeployments. so this is what happened. my husband heardyou, and moved to increase the size of the military. that's why his first budget includedpay raises and funding for better military

housing and more money for child care, inaddition to more funds for career development, counseling and support for spouses. last year's budget also included money toimprove care and treatment for our wounded warriors, especially those with post-traumaticstress and traumatic brain injury. and the budget increased major -- it mademajor increases in funding for veterans' health care, including women veterans, plus the largestincrease in the va budget in more than 30 years. and something that i'm especially proud ofthat we just talked about at the table, the president worked with the congress to extendthe family and medical leave act to all our

military families and to caregivers of ourwounded warriors, because just like other americans, our military spouses need to carefor their loved ones without fear of losing their jobs. this commitment to our forcesand their families continues today. and i'm happy to announce that the president's2011 budget that he'll introduce next week will further increase funding for militaryfamily support programs by more than 3 percent to a record $8.8 billion. and this increaseis going to include funds for counseling and support for spouses and families, includingour guard and reserve families, to the tune of $1.9 billion. it includes $1.3 billionto reduce shortages in military child care and to keep our military child care amongthe best this country has to offer -- that's

something that i got to see -- because wecan't forget that military kids also serve in their own special way. we can't forgetthese kids. they're just like any other child in thiscountry, except for the fact that their lives are turned upside down every time their momor dad has to go halfway around the country, risking their lives so that all our childrencan enjoy the freedoms of this democracy. it is so incredibly hard for these kids. asa result, they often experience more anxiety; they can have a harder time focusing at school;they can have a higher risk of depression. so we can never forget just how much thesewars affect our military kids, and we all have an obligation to ensure that these kidshave the support they need at home and at

school. so i'm proud to announce that this year'sbudget will include more money for youth programs for military kids. and then, at the directionof secretary gates, the budget will also include funds to improve and build new dod schools,from georgia to germany. and this is all part of a major effort -- (applause) -- this ispart of a major effort over the next five years to renovate or replace more than halfof our dod schools, which will benefit tens of thousands of children from military families.in response to one of the top concerns expressed by military spouses, this year's budget willalso include $84 million for spousal career development, including tuition assistanceand federal internship programs. yay. (applause.)

and i want to thank all the coast guard spouseswho spoke to me about housing challenges -- yes. (laughter.) as a result, the president's budgetwill include $14 million in new funding for quality coast guard housing. and i know that'sa big one. (applause.) these are all major investments, and theyare the result of military families speaking up and being heard. and they are part of alarger ongoing commitment to care for our troops and their families even after the fightingends. but in addition to good government and funding,supporting our troops and their families requires active citizens. that's why i've made it apriority to keep asking all americans to join the cause of supporting our military families.and that's why last veterans day, jill and

i helped launch mission serve -- a nationalnetwork that brings civilian and military service groups together to help support ourtroops and families. but this network also encourages communities to tap that incrediblespirit of service of our military families, as well as the talents of our veterans. we're asking americans to engage and supportmilitary families any way they can, from business owners helping veterans and military spousesfind a job or develop skills, to professionals in areas such as mental health and law offeringtheir services pro bono, to ordinary folks out there doing simple things like drivinga carpool or offering to babysit or making a home-cooked meal for a military family intheir own community. our men and women in

uniform and their families sacrifice for us,every single one of us, so every single one of us can do something in return, even ifit's something as simple as saying thank you. last spring, i had the opportunity to thankone of those military families during a visit to the white house. staff sergeant roberthenline was deployed to baghdad with the 82nd airborne division out of fort bragg when amassive explosion destroyed his humvee, and he was the sole survivor and suffered terribleburns over more than a third of his body. well, back at fort bragg, his wife conniehad to leave their three kids with family and she made the trip to a hospital in texasto care for her husband. so day after day and month after month, conniestayed by his bedside. she fed him and she

tended to his wounds, helped him through dozensof painful surgeries. and that's one story, part of the story, because back at home, theiroldest daughter, brittany, helped to hold the family together. and overnight, she wentfrom being a 15-year-old teenager to a mom for her younger brother and sister. she hadto get her driver's license early so she could run errands and do the shopping. she madethe meals, she did the laundry, she helped with homework -- yes, a 15-year-old. and atnight, her younger siblings would crawl into brittany's bed and seek the security thatthey would get from their mother. so when operation homefront named brittanytheir military child of the year, the president and i were honored to welcome the whole henlinefamily to the white house: the father who

had endured such horrible injuries, the wifewho never left his bedside, and brittany, the daughter who grew up faster than she hadever planned. and when a reporter asked brittany how a teenagercould take on so much responsibility, she did what you all do. she didn't speak of herself,but she spoke of her younger brother and sister. and she said simply, "they needed me, andmy priorities changed. my family came first." so you see, that is the strength and the spiritand courage that our military families display every day. you put your own priorities aside,you take care of one another, and you take care of this nation. so as first lady, i cannotthank you all enough for that sacrifice, and i promise you that i will use every ounceof my energy and being to make sure that america

always takes care of you. so thank you, thank you so much. thank youfor having me here, and have some wine. (applause.) mrs. obama: as you know, from last night,i get embarrassed when people stand up and clap for me. (laughter.) i don't really knowwhat to do. (laughter.) do i wave, do i -- it's like,please, just sit down, everyone. (laughter.) good afternoon. i'm thrilled to be here onthe floor. (laughter.) it's a great floor. it's kind of a warm floor, but it's a goodfloor. let me begin by thanking the new first ladyin the room, maureen mcdonnell. we are going to have a great time working together. sheis already very engaged and supportive of

these initiatives. and since she's so closei am counting on her to work alongside on some of these issues. we're going to see youin a month at the governors gala, whatever they call it, so be ready to dance. (laughter.)and welcome aboard. mrs. mcdonnell: (inaudible) -- practice. mrs. obama: a little practice, absolutely. congressman moran, again i want to thank youfor all your work in this area. i look forward to working with you. our staffs are alreadytalking about some things that you've been working on for a very long time, so we'regrateful for your leadership and concern and focus.

mayor euille, again you have been a host tome in your great city, and you've done wonderful work in this area. i had a terrific time addressingthe national conference of mayors, and i got a very good response from your colleagues.i know that the mayors in this country stand ready to work on this issue. they are seeingthe effects of what everyone on this floor has talked about, in terms of childhood obesity,and they're ready to make some changes. also, dr. palfrey, it is an honor for us tohave you with us. as i've shared before, it was through our relationship with our pediatricianthat we even began as a family to start thinking about these issues.and it's our pediatricians and our medical community that are going to work side by sidewith families throughout the country. so we're

grateful for your support. i know that thisis not a new issue for you, and i hope that our attention to it makes your job a littlebit easier. i also want to thank all the folks at they for all you're doing -- neil nicoll, for your work as the national leader. but i knowyou know as a national leader the real work happens on the ground at these fine facilitiesall throughout the country. the y has been a leader in ensuring that families and communitiesall over this country have access to places to play. your mobile physical unit, your phdunit, that came to the south lawn helped me debut my hula-hooping skills. (laughter.) but i think the ys are showing that they arethinking towards the next stage, you know.

the room that we were in is the next generationof what ys can be. the mobile unit is something that i didn't grow up with, but you're keepingup with the changes in cultures and communities in a way that is going to make a huge impactto the work that we have to do in our nation. and finally i want to thank my buddy in crime,secretary sebelius, for her tremendous leadership and her tremendous friendship. we're gladthat you moved out of assisted living. (laughter.) i know it's hard -- i know, i know, i'll workon him. (laughter.) but you can come over for dinner or something. (laughter.) fromyour work with the cdc to the fda, the department of health and human services is clearly atthe forefront of addressing some of our greatest health issues, and it's going to take theircontinued commitment. these grants that are

coming out, we've been working with your departmentin getting them done. your staff has been tremendous in moving very quickly on gettingthat money out, and i'm anxious to see what all that hard work leads to. so we are gratefulnot just to you but all of the thousands of people in your agency who make us all lookvery good. and finally i want to commend our new surgeongeneral dr. benjamin who i finally got to meet. (laughter.) three months on the joband we're already making you crazy, right? (laughter.) but you're doing a terrific jobjust jumping right in. the report is not only timely but it's right on point. and your perspective,your new way of looking at this issue, is refreshing, and again it's right on point.it's presenting both the dangers of inaction,

and a vision for health for this country.it's an incredible step in a long journey that we'll have to take. so we want to thankyou for your important work. so as we've seen, the surge in obesity inthis country is nothing short of a public health crisis, and it's threatening our children,it's threatening our families, and more importantly it's threatening the future of this nation.higher rates of obesity are directly linked, as you've heard, to higher rates of chronicillnesses like heart disease and cancer and diabetes. even though type 2 diabetes is rareamong young people, more than three quarters of those who have it are obese. in fact, the health consequences are so severethat as the secretary said, medical experts

have warned that our children are on trackto be less healthy than we are. and there's never been a generation of young people whoare on track to be healthier than their parents -- or less healthy than their parents. and truly, if we're really honest with ourselves,it's not hard to understand how this happens. i've tried to track this through my own life. in some cases, it's access. parents have toldme -- i've seen it myself -- that they would love nothing more thanto feed their kids more healthy foods, but if you don't live anywhere near a place thatsells fresh produce, it's very hard to accomplish that goal.

in other cases, the issue is just convenience.at the end of a long day -- and more and more families are experiencingthese long days with two parents working and busy schedules -- you just get home and you'retired and you pick up the phone and you order a pizza, or you go to that drive-thru. it'sjust easier. our modern-day life makes it very difficult for us to sit down and preparethat meal. and a lot of times it's affordability. inthese tough economic times, buying healthy foods unfortunately feels like a luxury fortoo many families. they just can't afford it. we've seen stories, we've heard stories,of people who know that buying that large gallon of juice is cheaper than buying a gallonof milk. they can't afford to make different

choices. and then at schools and in our communities,oftentimes it's budget cuts that make it more difficult. recess and pe are gone for manykids in communities all across this country. parks and playgrounds and after-school sportsare few and far between in too many neighborhoods. and for most people, the cause is really acombination of all of these things. it's no one particular thing. it's everything cobbledtogether. and let's face it: there are really just toomany pressures on parents today. and i understand those pressures. i talk aboutthis all the time. it's easy to live healthy when you live in the white house and you havestaff and people who are cooking for you and

making sure that it's balanced and colorful,because i had a hard time doing it before i lived in the white house, and that wasn'tso long ago. barack and i were like any working couple. i was a working mom with a husbandthat was busy, so many times i was the one balancing that load and wrestling with manyof those challenges. and there were plenty of times, i tell you, that you'd come hometired, you don't want to hear the kids fuss, and popping something in the microwave orpicking up a burger was just heaven. it was a godsend. but we were fortunate enough to have a pediatrician,as i've mentioned, that kind of waved the red flag for me, as a mother, and basicallycautioned me that i had to take a look at

my own children's bmi. now, we went to ourpediatrician all the time. i thought my kids were perfect -- they are and always will be-- (laughter) -- but he warned that he was concerned that something was getting off balance,because fortunately he was a pediatrician that worked predominantly in an african americanurban community, and he knew these trends existed, and he was watching very closelyin his client population, his patient population. so again, in my eyes, my children were perfect.i didn't see the changes. and that's also part of the problem, or part of the challenge.it's often hard to see changes in your own kids when you're living with them day in andday out. as parents, we all know and will readily acknowledge broadly that kids in general-- we will say we know they don't eat right

-- right? -- and we know they don't get asmuch exercise as they should, generally. but we often simply don't realize that those kidsare our kids, and our kids could be in danger of becoming obese.we always think that only happens to someone else's kid -- and i was in that position.we all want desperately to make the best choices for our kids, but in this climate it's hardto know what's the right thing to do anymore. so even though i wasn't exactly sure at thattime what i was supposed to do with this information about my children's bmi, i knew that i hadto do something; that i had to lead our family to a different way. but the beauty was that for me over the courseof a few months we started making really minor

changes. and i share this story because thechanges were so minor. we did things like, you know, limit tv time.my kids were already fairly active, but, you know, we cut tv time out during the week,and that helped increase activity, because they were just running up and down the stairsannoying me more. (laughter.) we paid more attention to portion size. didn'tmake a big deal out of it, but just sort of said, listen to when you're hungry, and whenyou're full, stop. we reduced our intake of sugary drinks andinstead encouraged our kids to drink more water. i just put water bottles in the lunchduring the week, or we had low-fat milk. again, didn't make a big deal out of it-- just made the change.

we put more fruits and vegetables in our diets,again, trying to make for a colorful palate, but you'd slip some grapes in at breakfasttime, and throw in an apple at lunch, and pester them about whether they actually atethe apple. (laughter.) and then you try to balance it out with something at dinner time. i mean, it was really very minor stuff. butthese small changes resulted in some really significant improvements. and i didn't knowit would. it was so significant that the next time we visited our pediatrician, he was amazed.he looked over the girls' charts and he said, "what on earth are you doing?" and i said,"really, not much, not much." and that's the good news that we want to share with families,particularly for kids: small changes can lead

to big results. they're not destined to thisfate, and they're not really in control what goes into their mouths, usually. so we know what has led to the obesity epidemic,you know. we know inside -- i mean, we're still learning -- but we kind of know. andwe know what we need to do to solve it. we just have to make the commitment to do it.we really -- each and every one of us needs to make that commitment. we need to provideparents with better nutritional information so that they can make better choices. we needto give our kids healthier options at school, where many kids are getting most of theirmeals. we need to make sure they're spending less time in front of the tv and playing videogames,and more time exercising and having fun and

doing the work of children, which is play. but we also know that the solution can't comefrom government alone. that's something that we just have to remindourselves. and for many, that's a great relief. everyone has to be willing to do their partto solve this problem, and everyone has to work together to turn this pattern around. and that's exactly what we hope to do throughan administration-wide initiative on child obesity that i'm going to be launching inthe next couple of weeks, along with a number of important partners. we're going to be bringing the federal governmenttogether, those resources in partnerships

with business, non-profit and the foundationcommunities, all of whom are thrilled to be a part of this endeavor.it's just been refreshing to see so many people recognizing that this is the time to stepup and make some changes. we're going to do a number of things -- again,some of them small things. we want to create what we're calling more healthy schools. andthese are schools that are offering more nutritious meal options during the day. they're providingnutritional information to children as part of the curriculum, and they're ensuring thatchildren are getting the increased exercise that we know that they need. but we also have to focus on increasing theamount of exercise outside of school, and

no place -- like the y knows that we needto make these changes. we need to make healthy food options moreaffordable and accessible. and that's going to be probably one of thetoughest things that we need to do. and we need to do this in all communities: urban,rural, everywhere. people have to have the information, they have to have access in orderto make healthy choices. there is nothing more frustrating that will frustrate a parentmore than to say that you've got to buy more fruits and vegetables -- but to still seethe cost out of kilter and see those goals out of reach. so these are just some of the things thatwe hope to do through this initiative. but

what we know is that we have to be ambitious;that the approach has to be ambitious. it can't just be lockstep. it's got to be somethingmeaningful and powerful. and the other thing that i will say -- andsay again and again and again -- this won't be easy. so let's begin withthat. (laughter.) this will not be easy and it won't happen overnight. and it won't happensimply because the first lady has made it her priority. that in and of itself is notgoing to be enough. it's going to take all of us. thank god it's not going to be solelyup to me. (laughter.) but it's going to take all of us -- parents, schools, communities-- working together for a very long time, over a sustained period of time. over generationsof children will need to keep doing this.

but i have every confidence, based on thelevel of energy that i've seen, based on the willingness of people to deal with this issueacross party lines, the willingness of the business community to be a part of the solution.every sign that we've seen over the course of moving to this rollout has been nothingbut positive. and of course parents are ready and willing.we all want to make the best choices for our children. we just need to know how. and ifwe continue to do that, if we work with our physicians, if we work with our surgeon general,if we've got the government, the federal government, working together, businesses ready to makethe sacrifices, then we can tackle this problem. and we can do something really important forour kids. we can hand them the future that

we know they're going to need to be successful. so i am excited. and i look forward to workingwith all of you over the next years to make this not just a dream but to make this movementa reality. so thank you all for the work that you'vedone so far. and we have a lot more work to do. so thank you so much. (applause.) mrs. obama: thank you. thank you. (applause.)good afternoon, and thank you so much. thank you, jaime, for that very kind and profoundintroduction. it is such a pleasure and an honor to be in this beautiful country, atthis great university, with so many outstanding young people from all across mexico.

let me start by thanking your first lady,mrs. margarita zavala. (applause.) i want to thank her for her tremendous kindness notjust to me but to my family. she is smart. she is tough. she is passionate. and she ismy friend. weã­ve had a wonderful time together, both here in mexico and during her visitsto the united states. and i look forward to welcoming her and her husband, president calderã›n,to washington for a state dinner next month. and i told her to prepare to have fun. (laughter.) i also want to recognize the u.s. ambassadorto mexico, ambassador pascual. and i want to thank the rector of this school, dr. josemorales orozco, for his leadership and for hosting me here today. and finally, i wantto thank all of the people of this country

for your incredible warmth and hospitalityduring my visit here. from the moment i arrived, i felt like i was entre amigos ã±- (laughter)-- which is only natural given the close and enduring friendship between our two nations. mexico is home to more u.s. citizens livingabroad than anywhere else in the world, and tens of millions of americans trace theirroots right here to this country. and for generations, mexico and the u.s. have beenbound together not just by a shared border, but by shared values and aspirations -ã± devotionto family and to faith; a willingness to work hard and to sacrifice for our children; acommitment to democracy rooted in struggles for independence that have defined our nations.

so when it came time for me to decide whereto make my first solo international trip as first lady, the choice was clear: mexico,por supuesto! (applause.) and thereã­s also a reason why i wanted to come here to the iberoand speak with all of you. itã­s the same reason why, when my husband travels abroadto talk about the challenges we face ã±- from extremism to nuclear weapons, from povertyand hunger to climate change and to pandemics ã±- he doesnã­t just meet with presidentsand prime ministers. he doesnã­t just visit palaces and parliaments. he goes to schoolsand to universities and he meets with young people just like all of you.

and this isnã­t an accident. today, weã­reseeing what has come to be called a ã¬youth bulgeã® ã±- an explosion of the youth populationin nations around the world. and here in mexico, nearly half the population is under the ageof 25. in the middle east, itã­s 60 percent. and young people between the ages of 15 and24 alone now make up 20 percent of the worldã­s citizens. this is the largest group in historymaking the transition to adulthood. and the fact is, is that responsibility formeeting the defining challenges of our time will soon fall to all of you. soon, the worldwill be looking to your generation to make the discoveries and to build the industriesthat will fuel our prosperity and ensure our well-being for decades to come.

weã­re going to be looking to your generationto seize the promise of clean energy to power our economies and preserve our planet foryour children and your grandchildren. weã­re going to be looking to your generation tofind the courage and the patience to resolve the conflicts and to heal the divides thatplague our world. and iã­m here today because i believe thatall of you, and your peers around the world, are more ready than ever to meet these challenges.more than any generation in history, you all are able to access information and connectwith one another in ways that my generation could never have imagined. with the clickof a button, you can exchange thoughts on any issue with people just about anywherein the world. you have an unprecedented ability

to organize and to mobilize to challenge oldassumptions, and to bridge old divides, and to find new solutions to our toughest problems. and it is because of this immense promisethat i intend to focus my international work as first lady on engaging young people justlike you all around the world. my husband and i know all too well that meetingthe challenges that we will face will depend on whether we effectively tap into your god-givenpotential ã±- whether we fully benefit from the industry and the energy and the perspectivesof young people from every background and every nation. because we know that ambitionand ability are found in every corner of the globe. the question is, how do we ensure thatopportunity is, too?

now, my husband and president calderon areworking hard to rebuild our education systems, to revive our economies, and to create newopportunities for young people in both of our nations. but leaders and governments canã­tshoulder this responsibility alone. ordinary citizens must share the responsibility aswell -ã± and that includes young people. and itã­s not just enough just to change lawsand policies. we must also change our perceptions about who can and who canã­t succeed. we haveto confront the wrong and outdated ideas and assumptions that only certain young peopledeserve to be educated; or that girls arenã­t as capable as boys; or that some young peopleare less worthy of opportunities because of their religion or disability or ethnicityor socioeconomic class -- because we have

seen time and again that potential can befound in some of the most unlikely places. my husband and i are living proof of that.we both came from very modest backgrounds. our families were not wealthy. my parentsnever went to college. my husband never really knew his father and was raised by a youngsingle mother who struggled to pay the bills. and like many kids with backgrounds like ours,we faced challenges: the sting of low expectation; the constant doubts about whether we couldsucceed, and whether we were even worth the effort. you see, back when we were young,no one could have predicted that one day we would become the president and first ladyof the united states of america. but we were lucky and more importantly wewere blessed. we had families who believed

in us. we had teachers who pushed us. we haduniversities that saw our potential and gave us opportunity. and we worked as hard as wecould. we learned as much as we could. and as a result, we were prepared and we werepoised to pursue our dreams. and our stories are not unique. theyã­re thestories of countless young people in mexico, in the united states, and around the worldwhoã­ve worked hard and theyã­ve defied the odds. theyã­re the stories of young peoplethroughout history whoã­ve succeeded not because of their trust fund, or pedigree, or theirtest scores, but because of challenges that tested and motivated them and made them whothey are, and because someone somewhere believed in them and helped them believe in themselves.

when he was orphaned at a young age and soughtwork as a servant, no one could have imagined that benito juarez would one day become oneof mexicoã­s greatest presidents. but thanks to a franciscan friar who helped him joina seminary and get an education, he was able to realize his gifts. one of my countryã­s greatest presidents,abraham lincoln, was born in a one-room log cabin in the woods ã±- but was lucky enoughto have a teacher who taught him how to write and debate. and then thereã­s joan of arc, the daughterof a peasant farmer who tried to persuade anyone who would listen that she could rescuethe french army from defeat. and when a prince

finally believed her, thatã­s exactly whatshe did. you see, throughout our world history, ithas so often been that unlikely hero, that unusual perspective, that improbable journeythat has been the key to our progress. so when we dismiss any of our young people, whenwe fail to tap into their potential, we risk losing their promise. and just think of theinventions and the cures that are never discovered, the great works of art and literature thatare never created, the great acts of courage and leadership that never grace this world. but this isnã­t just about discovering thosefew extraordinary folks who still or will change the course of history. itã­s also aboutbreaking down barriers across the globe so

that all our young people can learn and workand be productive members of our societies. itã­s about seeking the perspectives and experiencesof young people from every background ã±- those new ideas that make our businesses moreproductive, our cultures more vibrant, and our governments more open and free. but in order to do this ã±- in order to openup opportunities for more young people ã±- the truth is that those of you who alreadyhave a seat at the table must do your part to make room for others who donã­t. youngpeople around the world must reach out to help others realize their talents and maketheir voices heard. now, i understand that in these difficulteconomic times here in mexico, the united

states, and around the world, many young peopleare struggling and nothing is guaranteed. and even young people like those of you whohave the privilege of attending a university like this may be feeling a bit uncertain aboutyour futures. some of you may be worried about whether youã­lleven be able to build careers of your own. and you may be tempted -- tempted to focussolely on your individual success, take your diploma, get you the best job you can, andnever look back. but before you do that, i hope that youã­lljust think, just for a moment, think about the mission statement of this university,and that is to prepare students, and i quote, ã¬to engage in service to others and developand spread knowledge to achieve a free, fair,

united and productive society.ã® i hope that youã­ll think of those words fromthe bible -ã± that to whom much is given, much is required. and i hope that youã­llthink of all those whoã­ve shaped our history by heeding these words. imagine if mahatma ghandi had led a comfortableexistence as a lawyer instead of leading the struggle for the rights of his countrymenand his nationã­s independence ã±- work he started when he was in his twenties. imagineif nelson mandela had chosen a life of leisure as the son of a tribal leader instead of joiningthe anc at the age of 24, and enduring decades behind bars to end apartheid. imagine if motherteresa had never answered her calling and

ventured into the streets of calcutta to tendto those in desperate need. now, iã­m not saying that you have to takea vow of poverty or lead a movement. but i am asking you to do something -ã± whetherthrough your career, or as a volunteer ã±- do something to ensure that other young peoplehave the opportunities they deserve as well. thatã­s what folks like you are doing everyday all across the globe, and right here in mexico. alberto salvador from guanajuato was borndeaf and was at first denied admission to elementary school because of his disability.but he completed high school with honors, got a degree in the united states, and thenreturned here to mexico where he mentors deaf

children and will soon be starting his jobas a teacher. and then thereã­s mariana vazquez del mercado,whoã­s finishing law school at universidad panamericana. and she spends hours volunteeringin a free legal clinic and she also directs an organization that builds housing for strugglingfamilies. of her work, she says -- and this is a quote: ã¬the goal is to show that despitebeing young, we are sufficiently responsible and aware.ã® alberto irezabal, who graduated from the iberolast year, used his service project to help an indigenous community in chiapas betterproduce and sell their locally grown coffee. and of his work, he says -- this is also aquote: ã¬i believe we have a responsibility

to see that our projects succeed, not justfor ourselves, but for our country.ã® each and every one of these young people isworking to break down barriers and to open doors. each of them is giving others the chancestheyã­ve had to succeed. but also letã­s be clear ã±- iã­m not just talking to the universitystudents who are here today. i am also talking to young people here in mexico, and the unitedstates, and around the world who feel like they have no place at universities like this. and i have met so many young people in somany places who have so much to offer, but because of where theyã­re born, or the familytheyã­re born into, or the circumstances of their lives, they begin to doubt themselves.they begin to feel like they donã­t belong,

or theyã­re not prepared, or they wonã­t measureup ã±- so they shouldnã­t even try. now while i was fortunate to have so manyopportunities in my own life, i can certainly understand those feelings. see, when i firstwent to college, i was filled with self-doubt. i was convinced that everyone else was smarterthan i was ã±- and i felt like i just didnã­t fit in. but i soon realized that i was justas capable, and had just as much to contribute, as my classmates. all i needed was a littleconfidence in myself to make that happen. now, itã­s true, it is so true, that someof you might have to work a lot harder to get what you want. you might face many moreobstacles and setbacks. but i want you to know that you belong in places like this justas much as anyone. you have just as much to

offer as anyone else. all you have to do isbelief in yourself. if you refuse to give up, then there is nothing ã±- there is nothingyou canã­t accomplish. and i hope that all of you, all of you here,when you encounter hardships and when you start to get discouraged -- and i guaranteeyou, you will -- i hope that youã­ll think about young people like you all around theworld who have toiled in laboratories and libraries, in factories and fields, who havemarched and fought and bled to make our world a better place. i hope youã­ll think about the young peopletwo centuries ago who risked everything they had for mexicoã­s independence. i hope youã­llthink about the young people in america who

fought to ensure that all citizens, no mattertheir gender or the color of their skin, were treated equally under the law. you and i,weã­re here today because of them. and finally, i hope youã­ll think about youngpeople like sonia kim. she was a young woman i met yesterday during my visit in haiti.sonia works at the u.s. embassy in port-au-prince. and like so many people in haiti, she hasbeen working around the clock on the earthquake relief efforts. i want to read you an e-mail that she sentme. this e-mail inspired my trip there. itã­s inspired my trip here. she wrote: ã¬we areexhausted, traumatized and heart-broken. but we choose to stay here and work. we chooseto stay because we love haiti and its people.

we choose to stay because we believe in ourduty to help the people here in their greatest hour of need. we choose to stay because webelieve in our mission. we choose to stay because we still hold out hopeã– for recoveryand renewalã– and for a haiti built back better than before.ã® and i hope that every single one of you, andyoung people across the globe, will take up that work ã±- the work of helping others inneed, the work of building stronger nations and a better world, because if weã­re goingto tackle the challenges of our time -ã± if weã­re going to make our world safer and healthierand more prosperous and more free -ã± we are going to need the passion and the daring andthe creativity of every last one of you.

weã­ll need you to work as hard as you can,and do as much as you can, driven by the belief that has always summed up the spirit of ouryouth -- three simple words: si, se puede ã±- yes, we can. yes, we can. thank you. godbless. (applause.) mrs. obama: well, this is pretty cool, donã­tyou think? audience: yes. mrs. obama: i mean, right here in your school,in your multipurpose room, youã­ve got olympians and paralympians and reporters and teachers.and everybody is here because of you. isnã­t that pretty nice? mrs. obama: but, you know, one thing i wantyou all to know about these magnificent men

and women that iã­m standing up with is that,you know, if you heard in their story, each of them had to work hard and overcome somethingto get where they are. it wasnã­t easy. with hannah, she fell the first time out,as she said; had a very -- finished almost last. can you imagine that? has anybody everfinished last in something and really felt like, ã¬i just am not good at this and i neverwant to do it againã®? right? well, just imagine, what if hannah had said that after her firstefforts at the olympics? she wouldnã­t be here today with a gold medal. but insteadof feeling defeated by that, she just worked a little harder, and now sheã­s a gold medalist. alana was a skier before she lost the useof her legs, and lost the use of her legs

while skiing, right? she had a bad accidentand lost the use of her legs. now, she could have just said, ã¬you know what, iã­m justdone.ã® right? but instead, she not only kept doing her sport, but she got so strong thatshe can compete and win a medal. and shani -- you know, shani didnã­t growup in a neighborhood where anybody talked about speed skating, because weã­re both southside chicago, right, shani? (laughter.) south side, south side. (laughter.) but we didnã­tgrow up with speed skating. how did you even know about speed skating? we had ice, butwe didnã­t have speed skating. so there was nothing in his lifeã­s path that would havepredicted that he could take up a sport that he didnã­t grow up watching, right, and thenbecome the best in the world at it. the best

in the world. and then heath, as he told you, he is a truehero. he went off to war to fight for our country, and lost his legs as a result. now,as he said, he didnã­t win a gold medal in the paralympic games, but heã­s got the bestmetal in the room. and we have to be really proud of what these men and women have doneand the fact that they care so much about you all and your health that they wanted totake the time out to come here today to river terrace. so letã­s give them all a big round of applause.(applause.) but another one of the reasons weã­re heretoday is because i got to meet your principal,

principal foster, a few months ago, actually,when we started talking about exercise and nutrition. we went to another school in thearea, and she was there. we talked about planting a garden and improving our schools so thatall of our kids were eating healthier and getting more exercise. and i was so impressedat the work that she has been doing here with you all -- the innovation and the work thatsheã­s doing with all the other teachers and all the parents -- that i wanted to make surewe came to see you all. i love kids, as your principal said, and icare a lot about kids. iã­ve got two little girls of my own. and everyday i am worryingabout whether theyã­re going to grow up healthy and happy and smart and whether theyã­re goingto have a good life, right? and all of us,

all of us grown-ups, we feel the same wayabout you. and one of the things i did -- the very first-- one of the very first things i did when i became first lady and we moved into thewhite house was that we planted this wonderful garden. i don't know if you guys have heardabout our kitchen garden, and hopefully one day youã­ll come to the white house and visitit, but we worked with a bunch of kids in the area, and we saw how enthusiastic theybecame over the notion of planting their own fruits and vegetables and then eating it,right? and we sort of got this idea that maybe ifthese kids were excited about it and would change the way they eat because they weremore involved and we were all working together,

then maybe we could do it for every kid inthe country. so we started this program, this campaign,called ã¬letã­s move,ã® and that's what the t-shirts that some of your classmates arewearing are about. and hopefully you all will get t-shirts. but ã¬letã­s moveã® is a campaignto try to make sure that kids grow up eating healthy, getting enough exercise so that youall are strong enough to be olympians or to go to college or do whatever you want in life. and our campaign is trying to get everybodyto do a few things. we want your parents to have better information about the food youneed. we want to make sure that your schools are serving healthier food. we want to makesure that you live in communities where your

parents have access to really healthy foodsthat they can afford. and the last and most important thing is that we want you all todo what -- whatã­s the name of the campaign? letã­s -- audience: move! mrs. obama: so we want you all to move, becauseas all of the paralympic and olympic athletes have said, is that eating right and movingyour bodies is the beginning of everything for you all, because if youã­re not healthyand you canã­t run and you canã­t move, what can you do, right? but you need good habits now, right? you needto know that youã­ve got to eat vegetables,

even though some vegetables don't taste good.youã­ve got to drink lots of water and not a whole lot of soda. you canã­t have snacksall of the time. theyã­re good sometimes, but you canã­t eat them all the time. that's what ã¬letã­s moveã® is all about.the whole country is working for you all so that youã­re learning different habits. right? mrs. obama: so one of the big things weã­redoing on the ã¬letã­s moveã® part is that the president -- you know this guy, the presidentof the united states? mrs. obama: yeah, well, heã­s going to beissuing some really cool awards for kids. and theyã­re new awards as part of his fitnesschallenge. and what he wants to see you all

do is commit to doing exercise everyday fivedays a week. and if you can do that and move your bodies for about 60 minutes or so, youã­regoing to get an award. maybe you get to come to the white house. and i hope that you all are all competingfor this award, right, because weã­re going to do stuff on the south lawn, weã­re goingto have fun all summer, all throughout the year, but we need you guys to move, and weã­regoing to need you to get your parents to help you move, too. right? you know how with the -- whatã­s your minutecalled -- principal foster: the ã¬jamming minute.ã®

mrs. obama: -- the ã¬jamming minuteã® weã­regetting ready to do -- the most fun is watching your teachers do it, too. isnã­t that funwatching them jam -- weã­re all going to jam together? well, we want you to get your parentshelping you get these awards. can you all promise me that? mrs. obama: and i need you to promise me afew things, because we canã­t get this ã¬letã­s moveã® campaign going without you all. weneed you all. you all are at the center of everything. so weã­re going to need you tomake some promises. will you make some promises for me? mrs. obama: will you promise to try to eatas healthy as you can all the time?

mrs. obama: will you promise me that you willeat fruits and vegetables everyday? mrs. obama: and that youã­ll try new foods?even if you don't like them, youã­ll try them? mrs. obama: and that you wonã­t eat as muchsweets and chips? will you not eat so many of them; eat less of those? mrs. obama: yes, yes. (laughter.) that's alwaysthe tough one. tough for us, too. and will you all promise me that youã­ll makesure that when youã­re at home that you turn off the tv every now and then and just move,right? mrs. obama: dance? jump rope? mrs. obama: how many people have a dog, apet? run around with your dog. how many people

can hula hoop? do the hula hoop. how manypeople can shoot a basket? shoot a basket. how many people can do a push-up? try a push-up.how many people can do jumping jacks? jumping jacks. so that means when you go home, right, afteryou finish your homework, before you turn on the tv, turn on the radio and move. willyou promise me that? everyday. everyday. will you all promise? mrs. obama: all right, well, then, letã­sget moving. letã­s do our ã¬jamming minute.ã® are we ready to go? mrs. obama: all right.

principal foster: first lady, mrs. obama,in the back of the room we have our nurse and we have our office staff -- mrs. obama: what, you think we need a nurse?(laughter.) principal foster: well, she -- mrs. obama: whatã­s going on with the ã¬jammingminuteã® -- (laughter) -- that we need medical assistance? (laughter.) principal foster: she leads the ã¬jammingminuteã® every day. mrs. obama: all right, all right. principal foster: so i will turn the floorover to her. weã­ll listen.

mrs. obama: weã­re ready. weã­re ready tojam. mrs. obama: how is everybody doing? audience: good! mrs. obama: that's good. well, welcome tothe white house. how many guys -- of you guys have done this -- did you do this last year?that's good. so weã­re going to make this much more informalthan we did last year. i mean, in the last year i talked a little bit, and then you gotto ask questions, but the truth is, is that itã­s more interesting to talk and answeryour questions. so weã­re going to do that today.

but let me just welcome you all today. thisis an important day for all of us because your parents spend so much time here helpingme and the president, and we know that a lot of times they do it because you all make thesacrifices to be here. you guys are helping us just as much as your parents are. so firstof all i just want to say thank you. thank you for being patient and making sure thatyouã­re doing what youã­re supposed to do at home so that your parents can do what theyneed to do here. sit down, bo. so letã­s just start. do you guys have questions?why donã­t we start with questions. all right, you in the front.

q do you like living in the white house? mrs. obama: the question is: do i like livingin the white house? and yes, itã­s fun living in the white house. (bo barks.) (laughter.) bo likes it, too.bo likes living in the white house, too. some of the most fun parts about living in thewhite house is getting to share the house with so many people. i mean, we have thousandsof people who come here every month just to visit, and itã­s really fun to meet a lotof people and to make sure that they feel like this house is special for them, and toshare it with everybody else. so itã­s been a lot of fun. there are a lot of good thingsabout it.

all right, letã­s get a hand. you, young man,in the blue shirt. yes, you, blue shirt. q how does it feel -- mrs. obama: weã­ve got a mic. do we have amic, too, so that everybody can hear your question? q how does it feel being the first lady? mrs. obama: how does it feel being the firstlady? i think it feels like being me, you know? you don't change as a person just becauseyou have a different job, you know? so whatã­s your name? q isaiah.

mrs. obama: isaiah. so you know how you feel,isaiah, right? and you feel that way whether youã­re at home or at school or at the parkor whether youã­re with your friends. itã­s like youã­re always isaiah, right? so i think i feel the same way, too. i stillfeel like who i am; that, you know, i got to take care of my kids and i want to do agood job as first lady. i want to make sure that iã­m making my country proud. but i stillfeel like me. does that make sense? all right. all right, in the aqua blue, pigtails, handsup. q since itã­s earth day today, what are youdoing? mrs. obama: say that again?

q what are you doing for earth day? mrs. obama: for earth day. oh, i think weã­rehaving a reception this evening. sometimes itã­s hard for me to keep up with all thethings that weã­re doing. thereã­s a reception here this evening for earth day. and sasha brought home some energy-efficientbulbs that we have to put in the house. so weã­re going to do some bulb replacement.all right? all right, you right there. q do you miss chicago? mrs. obama: you know, the question, do i misschicago -- yeah, there are some things that

i miss about chicago. i miss -- but i thinkthe things that i miss about chicago are the things that i would miss anywhere. and oneof the things that the president and i canã­t do is sort of just walk down the street byourselves, you know? we canã­t just leave the house and walk by ourselves because wealways have security and we have to make sure that we got a lot of people with us. and ithink that the thing i miss in chicago is like being able to walk out of my house andgo down on the lake and ride my bike -- but i canã­t do that here, either. so what i tell my girls is that if thereã­sa reason why -- if thereã­s something that i miss about chicago, it would be my family-- and everybody is here with me. so it makes

it a lot easier to adjust because all thepeople that i love are still right here. and we have bo, and we didnã­t have bo in chicago. all right. in the orange and white -- yes. q what do you think are the leading causesof obesity in america? mrs. obama: okay, this is a -- you want toask that question in the mic again? mrs. obama: thatã­s a very astute question.(laughter.) and you definitely read my bio and you know what my issues are. (laughter.)itã­s a good thing. itã­s a good thing. you know, i think there are a lot of thingsthat cause obesity. i think itã­s the lifestyle we live. i think a lot of kids these daysspend a lot of time in front of the tv set

and on the computer. and when we were youngwe didnã­t have 120 channels that were on 24 hours a day and we didnã­t have the internetand computer games. so when we were little, we had to -- when you were bored, you hadto go outside and play. a lot of kids donã­t -- are driving to school or they take a busto school. so i think that weã­re just getting less exercise. and people say that we snack way too much,right, that there are a lot of snacks out there, especially for kids. you guys -- theysay the average kid has about five snacks a day or something like that. and if you -- q (inaudible.)

mrs. obama: how many do you have? q two. mrs. obama: you have two. thatã­s good. (laughter.)thatã­s on average. so somebody out there is having a lot more than two. (bo barks.) come here, bo. come here, bo.come here, bo. and i think that we have to make sure thatwe eat in a balanced way. itã­s, like, you canã­t live life without vegetables, right?you got to have vegetables, right, bo? yes, you do! so i think there are a lot of things. andwe have to make sure that our parents have

-- parents have good information about whatfoods are good for kids, what snacks are healthy and how much -- how large of a portion sizewe should have. so i think itã­s a lot of stuff. thatã­s whywith the initiative weã­ve got -- weã­re asking everybody to be involved in figuring out whatwe can do to make things better. but thank you for that question. all right, letã­s get somebody way in theback, in the maroon sweater. weã­ve got time. weã­ve got time. (laughter.) q is it hard for you and your family to spendtime together? mrs. obama: you know, actually, it is not.

(bo barks.) i know, i see you. itã­s easier now than it was because the presidentã­soffice is -- where are we -- itã­s over there somewhere. (laughter.) so itã­s real close,and we live upstairs. so itã­s very easy for us to, when weã­re working -- like, i cancome down from the house and work. and a lot of your parents, they have a commute, theyhave to get on a train, and they have to come here. so thereã­s a lot of flexibility. sowe make sure that weã­re at home when the kids get home and that we have dinner togetherand that we spend some time over the weekends together. and itã­s been a lot easier thani would have thought for us to spend time together as a family.

all right, you. (laughter.) q what school does your kids go to? mrs. obama: they go to a school called sidwellfriends and itã­s in washington, d.c., but thereã­s also the lower school thatã­s inbethesda, so itã­s two different buildings. have you heard of that school? (bo barks.) (laughter.) oh, what a clown.shh, quiet! (laughter.) all right, letã­s get another question. letã­sget another question, bo. all right, whoã­s next? we didnã­t do this side. letã­s do you,right here on the edge in the light blue. q what inspired you to become so involvedin child obesity?

mrs. obama: you know, it was just watchinghow childrenã­s diets and habits change. then i saw it in my household, just how easy itwas with schedules being as busy as they are, and parents working a lot of hours. and weget into the habit of giving you guys whatã­s easy sometimes, mac and cheese every night,and driving through the drive-thru a little bit too much. and time is just short. and i noticed it in my own household. andi thought, well, if iã­m having these kind of challenges, it must be hard for the averagefamily who doesnã­t have a lot of resources and things like that. so, you know, i think being a mom and seeingmy own kids.

(bo barks.) what? i know, i know. (laughter.) all right, right there. q when you were a kid, did you ever, like,dream of becoming the first lady? mrs. obama: you know, no, i didnã­t. wheni was a little kid, i probably had dreams like most little kids. for a second i wantedto be a pediatrician because i liked kids. i never wanted to be a vet. (laughter.) then,after i went to college, i wanted to be an attorney, and i practiced for a while. but no, as a matter of fact, i mean, the notionof being first lady of the united states -- there had never been anybody of my race who hadbeen here.

(bo barks.) i know, i know. all right, youã­regoing to have to go. you ready to go? are you ready to go? audience: no! mrs. obama: all right, you want to go sayhi? you want to say hi? audience: yes! mrs. obama: all right, i'll make sure he cancome over there, too. so i'll let him get his energy out with you guys. all right, heã­sin play mode. so weã­re going to -- iã­m going to take him out, and then weã­re going to-- iã­m going to let him come back in. all right, letã­s go. come on, letã­s go.letã­s go outside. all right, i'll make sure

to bring him back in when weã­re done, andthen everybody can get a chance to say hello. all right, take him out, kristen, so thathe can get some running. all right. weã­ll bring him back in. weã­ll bring him back in.and i'll make sure everybody gets a chance to pet him. all right. yes! yay for bo. weã­llbring him back in. so did that answer your question? all right,good. okay. letã­s see, you in the gray hoodie onthe end -- you who just turned around. q what are you growing in your garden? mrs. obama: oh, gosh, a lot of things. lotsof vegetables. i think weã­ve got a lot of greens, lettuces, weã­ve got lots of herbs,almost every kind of herb -- garlic, thyme,

rosemary, all that good stuff. weã­ve gotsome peas. weã­ve got a beehive so weã­ve got honey growing out there. weã­ve got someberries, some rhubarb. have you guys ever had rhubarb pie? mrs. obama: yes. well, rhubarb, it sort oflooks like lettuce, or celery in a sense, but it tastes really sweet like strawberries.you can mix it with strawberries so itã­s a good fruit dessert. weã­ve got some broccoli,some spinach. we had spinach last night for dinner from the garden. it was really sweet.so weã­re growing all kinds of vegetables and fruit. and i think you guys are going to get a chanceto go see a garden. is that true? is that

part of the tour? mrs. obama: all right. so thatã­s good. soyouã­ll let me know how itã­s coming, right? okay. all right, sounds good. q what type of breed is bo? mrs. obama: okay. so what type of breed isbo? what kind of dog is he? heã­s a portuguese water dog. yeah, and they love to swim. andat first he didnã­t always want to swim -- we had to teach him how to swim -- but now heloves the water and he gets in the water any chance he can get. and theyã­re sort of retrievaldogs. they were used to pull boats and to do things with fishermen. so heã­s a veryactive dog and itã­s important to keep him

running and playing. so now is sort of like his busy time, so hewas getting a little bored. there are some parts of the day when heã­s just sort of quietand sleepy because heã­s run around a lot, but with dogs like bo they like to play, yougot to keep them running. and there are some dogs that are more lap dogs. well, heã­s arunning, playing kind of dog. so you got to make sure you give him a lot of exercise. and he was a gift from a friend of ours, avery important and famous senator, senator ted kennedy, who recently passed. and hisfavorite breed of dogs were portuguese water dogs. and when he found out that we were lookingfor a dog, he gave us bo. he helped us adopt

bo. so bo is special not just because heã­sa special dog, but he was a gift from a very special friend. (bo barks.) yes! (laughter.) that is correct. all right, letã­s see, letã­s see. purplein the middle. q does bo bite? (laughter.) mrs. obama: yes. but, you know -- oh, didhe bite you? (laughter.) well, what he does is like -- bo is not like biting, i'm goingto bite you, but heã­s playful. heã­s like -- does anybody have a baby brother, somebodywhoã­s teething? heã­s beyond teething, but dogs play and they like to mouth and theylike to have things in their mouth. and that's

the kind of playing he does. and youã­ve gotto really train him to make sure that he -- like what we do is we put our hands in his mouthso that he knows how hard to bite on a human, because playing with a dog and playing withsasha and malia are two different things. so you're always sort of making sure thathe knows that mouthing is soft when it comes to people and skin, right? so he gets playful. that's why itã­s importantfor him to get exercise before he sees everybody, because he might think, oh, you guys are puppiesand we're playing and i'm going to -- you know, i'm going to start mouthing on yourarm. well, heã­s got to be calm and know this is visitor time and all that good stuff, becauseheã­s just as excited to see you as you are

to see him. all right, young lady in the navy blue onthe end right here. yes. q what is your favorite health food to eat? mrs. obama: my favorite health food -- hmmm.i have a lot of them. some of my favorite vegetables are spinach, broccoli, those arebig in my household. a good snack are -- some of the sort of power bars that they have that-- some of them are nutty, but some of them are kind of chocolaty, too, but they havegood calorie balance in them and if you need a good snack in the middle of the day, sometimesthose are fun and they make you think like you're having candy, and you're not. so -- butitã­s good food.

and i love juices, as much as i can get, freshjuices. does that help? all right, i'll come over here. all right,gentleman in the blue striped shirt, please stand in the middle. yes, you. q how is the obesity cure going? mrs. obama: howã­s that going, that cure thing?(laughter.) yeah, yeah, well, we havenã­t quite solved it yet -- (laughter) -- but weã­reon our way. there are some people who think that -- somescientists who say that the link to obesity is genetic, like itã­s something that youã­reborn with. but what weã­re trying to figure out is how do we change behavior, particularlyin kids, to just teach them different habits,

right? so my theory is that kids can learn to lovevegetables just as much as they can learn to love the taste of candy. i truly believethat. you may not agree, but i think that if you guys are eating healthy things on aregular basis, you start to like them, and you start making choices about a snack sothat instead of a snack being a piece of candy, a good snack could be a nice bunch of grapes.right? how many people like grapes? so thatã­s one of those learned things. soinstead of saying, mom, mom, iã­m hungry, can i have a bag of chips? youã­ll say, mom,mom, iã­m hungry, can i have a bunch of grapes? and if you say that i guarantee you sheã­llsay yes every single time, and theyã­ll be

just as good. so if we start teaching different habits,if you guys ask for different things, then eventually that will help with your health.and if youã­re moving and exercising, that will make you healthy and that will help curethe -- solve the problem of obesity. but weã­ve got a lot of work to do and weã­re going toneed all of you to help us do it. all right, you, right in the front. i know,i know, weã­re going to try to get to as many people as we can, as quickly as we can. q whatã­s your favorite room in the whitehouse? mrs. obama: my favorite room is actually theblue room. did you walk past it? itã­s oval.

itã­s the oval shape. and when you walk downthis hallway, itã­s in the center, and itã­s -- there are only three rooms in the residencethat have an oval shape. and one is in the bottom. itã­s called the diplomatic room,and itã­s one of the rooms you come into. and then the second one, which is the blueroom, and then thereã­s a room upstairs in our house that's called the yellow oval room. and all of them look out onto the south lawn,and you can see the fountain, and you can see the washington monument, and you can seeso much of washington. and itã­s still a cozy-feeling room. so when we have a lot of guests over,itã­s really nice to be able to have them see the view.

when we did the easter egg roll, and we walkedout with the -- i don't know how many people saw that. were you there? were you there?was it fun? did you have a good time? mrs. obama: well, we walked out, and we walkedout onto a balcony, and it was the balcony connected to the blue oval room. itã­s thatroom. so hopefully youã­ll see. q well, i saw the balcony, and it was -- mrs. obama: yeah. q -- it was in front of the football -- mrs. obama: yeah, the football activity section.yes, that's where the blue oval is. it is important to know where the rooms are in relationshipto the football activity center -- (laughter)

-- which is good. all right, all right, you. q is there anything you have to do that youdon't like to do? mrs. obama: say that again? is there anythingi have to do that i don't like to do? yes. (laughter.) no. (laughter.) yes, there are always things grown-ups haveto do that we don't want to do. i had this conversation with my kids just two days ago,right, because they came home, they had homework, but they saw me sitting, and i was readingover my work for next week. the tv was on, and they said, ã¬mom, youã­re so lucky. youjust have nothing to do.ã® (laughter.) and

i was like, ã¬yeah, it seems that way.ã® but grown-ups, a lot of the stuff we do isstuff we don't want to do, you know? a lot of times weã­d rather be playing outside andeating candy and playing with our dogs. but that's part of being a grown-up. so i think itã­s just responsibility. sometimesyou just donã­t want any. you want to do what you want to do all the time. and i don't thinkgrown-ups are any different. right, parents in the room? weã­re not different. we wantto be hanging out, too. but a lot of the things that i have to doare a lot of fun. like, this is something that i love to do. and itã­s -- and is thissomething that i have to do? i think so. but

itã­s also something that i really love todo. and itã­s a lot of fun to talk to you guys. so i get to do a lot of this kind ofstuff. i got to go with olympians, winter olympiansyesterday. we went to a school. shani davis, the speed skater -- very cool and very silly.he was a lot of fun. and we played and joked and laughed with kids at a school. you know,if i have to do that every day, i'll take it. right? all right, green shirt, green shirt. thereyou go. what, you forgot? q yeah. mrs. obama: that's okay. (laughter.) itã­sokay. when you remember, as soon as you remember,

we will come back to you. but donã­t feelpressured. all right, in the green. weã­ll stick withgreen. in the green raincoat. so keep an eye on him when he remembers. q what kind of music do you like? mrs. obama: oh, that's a good question. ilike all kinds of music. all right, so this is whatã­s in my ipod, some of the stuff that'sin my ipod. i love stevie wonder. that may be -- stevie -- you know, stevie wonder? (laughter.) q michael jackson? mrs. obama: michael jackson, iã­ve got somemichael jackson. but iã­ve got some rihanna,

iã­ve got some beyonce -- i love beyonce.(laughter.) oh, yeah, i love some beyonce. iã­ve got some new usher on my cd. iã­m tryingto relate the things that are on there that you could connect with. sting, anyone? sting?(laughter.) no? whatã­s so funny? (laughter.) and i like some jazz, lots of jazz, but iwonã­t go into -- you might not -- how many people here are jazz lovers? some of yourfavorite artists, yell them out. mrs. obama: who? q michael jackson. (laughter.) mrs. obama: okay, michael, heã­s not jazz.(laughter.) q louis armstrong.

mrs. obama: louis armstrong, donã­t have anyof him, but heã­s good, too. any other jazz? what? mrs. obama: thatã­s okay. so that gives youa sense. itã­s a lot of different things. i love to dance, i love a good beat. all right. did you remember yet? all right, little lady in the orange. yes,you. q i have two questions. the first one is -- mrs. obama: two. please stand with your two,so we can see you. q the first question is how often do you useyour movie theater?

mrs. obama: oh, good question. usually onthe -- almost every weekend, but not always every weekend. q i actually have three. (laughter.) mrs. obama: okay. i donã­t want anyone fromthe press to get any ideas on this. (laughter.) q the second one is: is your movie theaterable to play any movie you want? and is it able to play new movies that are out in theregular theater? mrs. obama: yes. the only thing that we canã­tplay -- we canã­t play 3-d movies. so we donã­t have 3-d -- are the engineers -- we donã­thave 3-d capability yet. thatã­s correct. but we get all kinds of movies. we get moviesthat are in theaters now and we get movies

that were old movies. you can play tv on there,so when itã­s super bowl, we have a big super bowl party and weã­re watching the super bowl. third and final question. q yes, third and final question. mrs. obama: okay. (laughter.) q what do you use most in the white house,like, you have a tennis court, you have -- i canã­t remember what else, but you have alot of things. mrs. obama: thereã­s a lot of stuff here,there is. you know, right now i do think weã­re using the tennis court the most, because everybodyis taking tennis lessons. but when it gets

hot weã­re going to use the swimming poola lot. we havenã­t used it yet this season, but thatã­s one of those things we use a lot. q sometimes. mrs. obama: sometimes. itã­s coming. itã­scoming. all right, the young man right on the end.iã­m moving around. iã­m coming back that way. q what is the thing you care about the mostin the environment? mrs. obama: what do i care about the mostin the environment? q yes. like, what animal or what plant?

mrs. obama: oh, what animal or what plant.you know, weã­re big tiger savers because malia -- maliaã­s one issue for her fatheris saving the tigers. so we talk about the tigers at least once a week and what heã­sdoing to save the tigers. (laughter.) so i think now we are -- you know, he tells herheã­s working on it and there are a lot of people who are thinking about it. he hasnã­tcome up with a sufficient answer yet, but heã­s got a couple of more years or so tofix this problem. but i think the obama household, weã­re trying to save the tigers. all right, okay. all right, all right. q do you spend --

mrs. obama: wait, here comes the mic. okay. q do you spend more time with your dog orwith your kids? (laughter.) mrs. obama: did everyone get that question?(laughter.) i think that the appropriate answer would be my children. (laughter.) no, itã­spretty clear that itã­s the kids, because theyã­re my kids; they need me. bo can bewith anybody. we spend a lot of time -- well, we try to spend a lot of time together asa family. but during the day, a lot of times bo is outside, heã­s running around. heã­snot interested in hanging out with me until the girls come home anyway. q or now.

mrs. obama: or now. you see, he wasnã­t eventhat interested in sitting here for a few minutes. we were trying -- i was trying toget some quality time with him, and he just wanted to play. i was boring. so all right, weã­ll stay in this section.all right, you in the pink. yes, you. yes, you, you, you! itã­d be you! q how often do you go in the oval office? mrs. obama: how often do i go in the ovaloffice? not as often as you think. i canã­t think of the last time i was over there. no-- because that's work to me. so that's my husbandã­s job. so if i have -- if i -- sometimesi have to cut through the west wing to get

to another building, so if iã­m there i'llstop in, i'll see whatã­s going on, or if thereã­s an event. but i donã­t go there everydaylike the president does, because i usually -- if i need to talk to him, i'll wait tillhe comes home. heã­s in new york. he just left. did you hearthe helicopters? were you guys here when the helicopters took off? you heard it on thenews? well, he just left to go to new york, youã­re absolutely right. okay. oh, green, heã­s ready. he is ready! q is there anything that you have at the whitehouse that you didnã­t have in chicago, besides the movie theater and the other stuff, likethe back of the --

mrs. obama: yeah, pretty much the movie theaterand all the other stuff. (laughter.) we didnã­t have any of this stuff. you know, when welived in chicago, we lived in a regular house with a backyard and neighbors, and we didnã­thave security, and we didnã­t have a swing set, and we didnã­t have the south lawn, andwe didnã­t have a movie theater. we had dvds and stuff like that. q no, by the stuff, i mean, like the basketballcourt and the things other former presidents have built. mrs. obama: we had none of it. we had nothing,none of it. sorry. q but bo --

mrs. obama: bo -- we didn't have bo. we didn'thave bo. we had nothing! (laughter.) we had each other. we had love! (laughter.) that'swhat we had. but no, we didnã­t have any of that stuff in chicago. you know what, we did. there was a basketballhoop in our backyard. i know. that's about it. all right. okay, you. q what is your favorite -- mrs. obama: get your mic, get your mic. q what is your favorite part about being thefirst lady and having the power to change

like the world and stuff? mrs. obama: oh, did you hear that? i havethe power to change things. mrs. obama: yeah, yeah. my favorite thingis, you know, the feeling that with even small gestures you can impact peopleã­s lives inways -- i mean, sometimes itã­s not even doing anything, but the fact that i can go to aschool just for a visit and bring attention to what theyã­re doing just by coming to visit.i can use this platform to highlight issues that are important and to point out peoplethat are already doing really good things. so itã­s not always anything that i can do,but itã­s helping other people get the attention around the good things that theyã­re alreadydoing -- hard work and sacrifice, people who

are doing things for their families. itã­san exciting opportunity to be able to shine the light. like, today weã­re getting to see how smartyou guys are, the whole country is getting to see just how bright and engaging you guysare and how eager you are to ask questions and to learn. and thatã­s important for usto remember every day, just how important our young people are and just how curiousand ready to do anything you all are. so thatã­s fun. all right, way in the back, red hair. yeah,itã­s red. q can you do anything to make the recess longer?(laughter.)

mrs. obama: say that -- oh, to make recesslonger? (laughter.) audience: yes! (laughter.) mrs. obama: okay, longer recess. can i makerecess longer? oh, some people are no -- i see a ã¬noã® over there. well, the thing that we want to make surethat we want to work to do is to make sure all kids have recess. there are some kidsand some schools and some places that donã­t have recess. and we want to change that becauseduring the day -- you guys tell me, doesnã­t it feel better to get through the day whenyou get a little break, you get to run around a little bit, get some of that energy out,sweat a little bit, throw a ball? right? doesnã­t

that help you learn? our belief is that ithelps kids learn. so the first thing is we need to make surethat every kid has an opportunity to have recess in their schools and to get exerciseand to have p.e. and to play in sports. right? and then once we make sure all kids have it,then the question becomes whether we need to make it longer or whether we need to makesure you know your math. yeah, i know, thereã­s the school aspect of school, but itã­s gettinga good balance so that kids are getting a little bit of everything. does that make sense?all right, sounds good. all right. little lady next to alan in thewhite. you were blocking her way, alan. q the ã¬move itã® business that you do, isit --

mrs. obama: that ã¬move itã® business? q -- working out well? mrs. obama: is the ã¬move itã® business workingout well? (laughter.) you know, we just started the ã¬letã­s moveã® initiative; this is theobesity initiative. and right now weã­re very pleased with the response. everybody thatweã­ve come across is excited about the possibility that we could make sure that kids are healthier.i havenã­t run into anyone who thinks itã­s not a good idea, because itã­s all about youall. so, so far so good, but we got a lot of work to do. and we wonã­t know how goodweã­re doing for a while. and weã­ll see it in you all.

so weã­ll check back again next year whenyou come back, and then you can ask me that question again. all right? okay, you, young lady in the line. yes, yes,you. yes, you. find your mic. q do malia and sasha still hang out with theirfriends from chicago? mrs. obama: they do. they do. they still hangout with their friends from chicago as much as possible. so sometimes on vacations, sometimesthey come for events. but yeah, that's one of the important things that theyã­ve beenable to do, is make new friends here, really good friends that they love, but their oldfriends are still folks that theyã­ve known all their lives. you know old friends youã­vehad since you were three, right? thereã­s

nothing like those friends, right? so theyã­vebeen lucky to be able to keep those connections. all right, letã­s see. we have lots of pinkin the back, so letã­s get the first in the tie-dye pink. iã­m coming. q do you help your girls with their homework? mrs. obama: yes, every night. well, maliais older, so she does her homework on her own, right. sheã­s very independent, so idon't help her, and she doesn't want my help, quite frankly. sasha, who is still in -- sheã­s a littlebit younger, when she needs help -- yes, third grade, that's correct -- and so when she needshelp, i help her. but i usually check homework

to make sure -- you know, i try not to redoit, but i try to check it and ask her if she can change things if theyã­re wrong. so, all right, how about you, young man? q how long have you had bo? mrs. obama: weã­ve had bo for a little overa year. right, press? iã­m counting on you -- we got him -- itã­s like i saw a storyon his anniversary. (laughter.) so itã­s been a little over a year, but heã­ll be two inoctober. his birthday is october. q heã­s big for a one-year-old. mrs. obama: but, you know, dogs grow fast.the comment was, ã¬heã­s big for a one-year-old,ã®

but, you know, one-year-old dogs are not babypuppies anymore. and heã­s a big breed dog. so heã­s sort of -- that's about as big asheã­s going to get. that's the size he is. heã­s sort of -- now heã­s like a teenager.heã­s not a baby anymore. heã­s not a baby puppy. dogs have shorter life spans, so their lifemoves along a little faster. so when youã­re one or two as a dog, youã­re more like a teenager. q and if it were 10 -- if the dog was 10 -- mrs. obama: if the dog is 10 years old, thedog is old. itã­s an old, old dog. q like a grandma.

mrs. obama: like a grandma, exactly, exactly.hope that doesnã­t offend anyone. but yeah, that's about where they are in their liveswhen theyã­re 10. okay, you, young lady in the glasses in thesecond row. q do you still communicate with your friendsin chicago? mrs. obama: yes, i do, too. like malia andsasha, some of my oldest friends are a great comfort, right, so we try to connect as muchas possible. so that's been a fun thing for me, too. all right, how are we doing? we got -- weã­regoing to be able to do a couple more questions. so if youã­ve asked a question, make sureyour hand is down. make sure that you ask

a question that hasnã­t been asked before.all right? are these all the hands with brand new questions? okay, yes, definitely. all right, here comesthe mic. iã­m going to do one in each section. one here -- which is you -- one there, onethere, and one there. okay? and i'll go around. does that sound fair? and you all can talkamongst yourselves and figure out who the question needs to be. yes. q i have two. (laughter.) whatã­s boã­s favoritetoy? mrs. obama: whatã­s bo -- he likes -- boã­sfavorite toy is this big rope. itã­s a huge

rope that he likes to drop at your feet, andthe game is can you get it before he gets it. so he drops it, and then he waits foryou to get it, and then you go to get it, and he tries to get it, and if you get it,then you pull in, you play tug of war, and then he tries to win. mrs. obama: no, he wins if he plays againstsasha. usually, i win if i -- because iã­m bigger. iã­m bigger than bo. q and my second question is: how early dothe girls have to get up? mrs. obama: how early do they have to getup? the girls get up at 6:00 a.m. they could get up later if they move faster. (laughter.)but that's their choice. you either move slow

and get up early, or move faster and get uplater. all right, this section. okay, in the black.yes, you. q okay. oh, yeah -- mrs. obama: take your time. q i just remembered. why did you start theã¬letã­s moveã® or something, whatever that is? mrs. obama: that ã¬letã­s moveã® thing? yeah,yeah. well, that is a question that i answered before. iã­m going to answer really quickand give somebody else in this section -- because i want to make sure that all kids are healthy.and itã­s important to make sure that kids

start out early with good habits. and if youstart out early with good habits, then you grow up with good habits, right, and thenwe have a healthier nation, right? if weã­ve got healthier kids, theyã­re going to be healthierparents, and theyã­re going to raise healthier kids. all right, one more in this section. all right,you on the end. yes. q what activities are you and your familyinterested in the most? mrs. obama: activities like sports and thingslike that? we all like different things. some of us like soccer. some like tennis. somelike basketball. everybody likes to watch movies. weã­re all big movie fans. everybodylikes to travel, right. everybody gets excited

when thereã­s a big trip, and we like to travelwhen we can all travel together. and usually we don't care where we go. itã­s usually funand interesting. so those are some of the things we like to do. mrs. obama: yeah, i know. i know. all right, weã­ve got the question here. allright, weã­re going to go in the back, because iã­ve done a lot in the front. and the younglady with the stripe -- the multicolored stripes. q what are your responsibilities as firstlady, and do they change if president obama goes out of town? mrs. obama: that's a good question: what aremy responsibilities as first lady? you know,

first ladies technically don't have a jobdescription, and that's something that's been debated. itã­s like whether first ladies shouldget paid for what they do, whether there should be a more defined job description. but right now every first lady defines theirjob based on what their interests and passions are. so some first ladies spent a lot of timepromoting reading and literacy. some people promoted saying no to drugs. hillary clintonpromoted work with children and work abroad, a lot of international focus. so it reallychanges from first lady to first lady. for me, the issues are healthy living forour kids. and no, my job description doesnã­t change if the president is out of town. thepresident is the -- heã­s the official who

is elected by the people of the united states.and thereã­s a different line of responsibility on that end. so if the president canã­t dowhat he needs to do if heã­s out of commission or if he gets sick, then the vice presidentsteps in. and if the vice president canã­t, then thereã­s a whole chain of people throughoutcongress who take responsibility in the event that something happens to the president. but the first ladies -- my role -- is reallyconnected to what the president -- what the issues iã­ve picked are as first lady. doesthat make sense? all right, weã­ve got the last question. anditã­s going to be in this section, because we had that deal, right? and it is going tobe the young lady in red, because you had

a lot of people pointing at you so -- (laughter.)i know, i know. q what after-school activities do the girlsdo? mrs. obama: they do piano. they do practicefor their sports. sasha does dance, hip-hop. malia does flute. so i think -- iã­m sureiã­m missing something, but thatã­s about -- those are -- thatã­s sort of the array.and then the sports change from season to season. so basketball season sasha playedbasketball -- thatã­s over. iã­m probably going to have them do some swimming now thatitã­s getting warmer, right; work on those strokes. all right. well, you know what, weã­re done.we are done. i know, i could stay here forever,

but now i got to go do the rest of what ihave to do as first lady today. but let me tell you, it was -- q bo! mrs. obama: okay, we will get -- letã­s startworking bo back up here, because i made that promise. audience: bo! mrs. obama: wait, wait, wait. everybody sit.iã­m going to ask you guys all to -- wait, wait. iã­m going to ask you guys all to sitand to be calm because heã­s excited -- heã­s excited. and iã­ll bring up and then iã­lltake him to each section. kristen, if you

bring him up to me, then weã­ll go around. you guys, thank you, and make sure you learna lot.