As a mother herself, Obama had to raise her girls in the public eye . We can only imagine how difficult that must have been, but today, Malia and Sasha are stunning, proud women in their mother’s photograph. This also marks the first time we have officially seen the Obama daughters publicly since they left the White House (read: not photos leaked by snitching friends ). Obama says that Shields Robinson “listened more than she lectured; observed more than she demonstrated,” and thanks her mother for the lessons that she taught her about raising children — and it shows in Malia and Sasha.<doc-sep>"I see now how important that kind of freedom is for all children, particularly for girls with flames of their own," Michelle Obama says In honor of Mother’s Day this year, Michelle Obama shares memories of her mom, Marian Robinson, and women who shaped the extraordinary life of the girl from Chicago’s South Side who would grow up to be America’s first lady. In a special personal essay, excerpted here, for the new issue of PEOPLE, Obama reflects on what she learned about parenting from her own mother: My mother is a woman who chooses her words carefully. She’ll sometimes speak in clipped sentences, her wisdom packed into short bursts and punctuated with an infectious smile or a wry laugh. It’s a style that makes her a favorite of everyone she meets — a sweet, witty companion who doesn’t need the limelight. Get push notifications with news, features and more. As I’ve grown older, I’ve seen how her manner in conversation also reflects her approach to parenting. Because when it came to raising her kids, my mom knew that her voice was less important than allowing me to use my own. That meant she listened a lot more than she lectured. Growing up, she was willing to endure endless questioning from me — Why did we have to eat eggs for breakfast? Why do people need jobs? Why are the houses bigger in other neighborhoods? She didn’t chide me if I scrapped with some of the neighbor kids or challenged my ornery grandfather when I thought he was being a little too ornery. She listened intently to the lunchtime conversations I had with my schoolmates over bologna sandwiches, and nodded patiently along to tales of my contentious piano lessons with my great aunt Robbie. Former First Lady Michelle Obama and family members surprise Mrs. Marian Robinson with 80th Surprise Birthday party in Chicago Saturday, July 29, 2017. Credit: Lawrence Jackson In today’s world, it’s easy to hear all that and think that Marian Robinson was bordering on negligent, that she was letting the kids rule the roost. But the reality was far from that. She and my father, Fraser, were wholly invested in their children, pouring a deep and durable foundation of goodness and honesty, of right and wrong, into my brother and me. After that, they simply let us be ourselves. Olivier Douliery- Pool/Getty Credit: Olivier Douliery- Pool/Getty … I see now how important that kind of freedom is for all children, particularly for girls with flames of their own — flames the world might try to dim. … It’s up to us, as mothers and mother-figures, to give the girls in our lives the kind of support that keeps their flame lit and lifts up their voices — not necessarily with our own words, but by letting them find the words themselves. For Mrs. Obama’s complete personal essay on motherhood, pick up the new issue of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday. Barack Obama stands alongside First Lady Michelle Obama, their daughters Sasha and Malia and Marian Robinson (R), Michelle's mother, for the National Anthem during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2009. The Obamas at the White House in 2009 | Credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Below is an excerpt from Michelle Obama’s bestselling memoir, Becoming, in which she recalls how her great-aunt Robbie’s tough love and piano lessons helped shape who the woman she is today: At home, I continued to work on my own progress as a musician. Sitting at Robbie’s upright piano, I was quick to pick up the scales — that osmosis thing was real — and I threw myself into filling out the sight, reading worksheets she gave me. Because we didn’t have a piano of our own, I had to do my practicing downstairs on hers, waiting until nobody else was having a lesson, often dragging my mom with me to sit in the upholstered chair and listen to me play. I learned one song in the piano book and then another. I was probably no better than her other students, no less fumbling, but I was driven. To me, there was magic in the learning. I got a buzzy sort of satisfaction from it. For one thing, I’d picked up on the simple, encouraging correlation between how long I practiced and how much I achieved. And I sensed something in Robbie as well — too deeply buried to be an outright pleasure, but still, a pulse of something lighter and happier coming from her when I made it through a song without messing up, when my right hand picked out a melody while my left touched down on a chord. I’d notice it out of the corner of my eye: Robbie’s lips would unpurse themselves just slightly; her tapping finger would pick up a little bounce. This, it turns out, was our honeymoon phase. It’s possible that we might have continued this way, Robbie and I, had I been less curious and more reverent when it came to her piano method. But the lesson book was thick enough and my progress on the opening few songs slow enough that I got impatient and started peeking ahead—and not just a few pages ahead but deep into the book, checking out the titles of the more advanced songs and beginning, during my practice sessions, to fiddle around with playing them. When I proudly debuted one of my late-in-the-book songs for Robbie, she exploded, slapping down my achievement with a vicious “Good night!” I got chewed out the way I’d heard her chewing out plenty of students before me. All I’d done was try to learn more and faster, but Robbie viewed it as a crime approaching treason. She wasn’t impressed, not even a little bit. michelle-obama-1 Credit: Miller Mobley Nor was I chastened. I was the kind of kid who liked concrete answers to my questions, who liked to reason things out to some logical if exhausting end. I was lawyerly and also veered toward dictatorial, as my brother, who often got ordered out of our shared play area, would attest. When I thought I had a good idea about something, I didn’t like being told no. Which is how my great-aunt and I ended up in each other’s faces, both of us hot and unyielding. “How could you be mad at me for wanting to learn a new song?” “You’re not ready for it. That’s not how you learn piano.” “But I am ready. I just played it.” “That’s not how it’s done.” “But why?” RELATED VIDEO: Michelle Obama Shares the Advice She’d Give Meghan Markle: ‘Don’t Be in a Hurry to Do Anything’ Piano lessons became epic and trying, largely due to my refusal to follow the prescribed method and Robbie’s refusal to see anything good in my freewheeling approach to her songbook. We went back and forth, week after week, as I remember it. I was stubborn and so was she. I had a point of view and she did, too. In between disputes, I continued to play the piano and she continued to listen, offering a stream of corrections. I gave her little credit for my improvement as a player. She gave me little credit for improving. But still, the lessons went on.<doc-sep>Michelle Obama The former First Lady shared a sweet message of thanks for her mother, Marian Robinson. See her tribute below. "Growing up, every time I’d come home from school with a story to share, my mother was there with a snack and a listening ear to hear about what was on my mind. When I came home with a tale about my disastrous second-grade classroom, she marched into the school to figure out what was going on. And as I grew older, including up through my years as First Lady, she was always there for me as a guiding light through whatever fog was clouding my path. She’s always listened more than she lectured; observed more than she demonstrated. In doing so, she allowed me to think for myself and develop my own voice.From an early age, she saw that I had a flame inside me, and she never tempered it. She made sure that I could keep it lit. Mom, thank you for kindling that fire within me, and for your example as a mother and a grandmother to our girls. We would never be who we are today without you. #HappyMothersDay, Mom. Love you. ❤️"<doc-sep>
Former President Obama on Sunday marked Mother’s Day by sharing a tribute to the “perfect role model,” former First Lady Michelle Obama Michelle LeVaughn Robinson ObamaPelosi: George Floyd daughter's prediction that he would 'change the world' is coming true Jill Biden recognizes Fauci as an 'American hero' Michelle Obama shows support for foundation created to honor Kobe, Gigi Bryant's memory MORE. "Happy Mother's Day to the most caring, brilliant, funny, and grounded woman I know—a perfect role model not just for our daughters, but so many others," Obama said in a Facebook post accompanied by a picture of Michelle with their daughters Malia and Sasha. Michelle Obama also marked the holiday by paying homage to her mother, Marian Robinson, with a post on Twitter. ADVERTISEMENT "From an early age, my mom saw that I had a flame inside me and she never tempered it," Michelle Obama said of her mom. " Mom, thank you for kindling that fire within me, and for your example as a mother and a grandmother to our girls. "We would never be who we are today without you." From an early age, my mom saw that I had a flame inside me and she never tempered it. Mom, thank you for kindling that fire within me, and for your example as a mother and a grandmother to our girls. We would never be who we are today without you. #HappyMothersDay, Mom. Love you. pic.twitter.com/2LYOS7jzPD — Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) May 12, 2019 President Trump Donald TrumpTrump lashes out after grand jury seated for New York criminal probe Schumer tees up vote on Jan. 6 commission bill Senators struggle to save Jan. 6 commission MORE wished Americans "Happy Mother's Day" in a Facebook post. First Lady Melania Trump Melania TrumpBidens meet with Kennedy Center honorees, a tradition ignored by Trump Jill Biden recognizes Fauci as an 'American hero' Here's why Joe Biden polls well, but Kamala Harris does not MORE voiced the same message to her followers on Twitter. UPDATED 1:23 p.m.