Michelle Obama on What Every Mom Needs: The Staffed Life

Work Wednesday

I’ve finally discovered what’s missing from my life. No, not glamorous soirees, a weekly massage, or a couture wardrobe. And not anything spiritual or meaningful. What I am missing is a staff. How did I figure this out? First Lady Michelle Obama clued me in.

Speaking to a group of business executives at the Corporate Voices for Working Families conference last Thursday, Obama joked, "Everyone should have a chief of staff and a set of personal assistants."

The First Lady has been criticized (unfairly, I think) for this observation. (And for lots of other things, too. Just google "Michelle Obama Marie Antoinette" for a taste of the vitriol out there.) But the First Lady’s throwaway line was, in fact, a lead-in to a more serious point. Obama was using her bully pulpit - and her own experience as a mother and a lawyer - to make a plea to corporate America for concrete support for working families in the form of paid sick and maternity leave, flexible work hours, and on-site child care.

All important issues, sure. But I wanted to know more about the support available to the Chief Executive mom - not the rest of us. What could I expect if I were First Lady?

Well, for starters, there’s Obama's mom, the Grandma-in-Chief. And the Chief of Staff, Jackie Norris, who is a mother of five-year-old twins and a three-year old. (Seems like she could use her own personal staff!) Plus, the White House Social Secretary and her own Press Secretary. Obama is also staffed by Directors of Communications, Director of Policy and Projects, Scheduling and Advance, and Correspondence. Then, there's a slew of deputies and lots more executive assistants and personal aides. (So far, though, less than, Jacqueline Kennedy, who had a staff of 40). She also oversees a White House domestic workforce, which includes a Chief Usher, head chef, a team of cooks, a florist, maids, drivers, and dressers.

I began to fantasize about the staffed life.

The Scheduling and Events Director could manage our calendar, keeping up with the kids’ play dates, birthday parties, and doctors’ appointments. She could also diagram vacations, school and daycare closures, and business trips, preventing ugly collisions.

The Social Secretary could construct a glittering social life for my husband and me. (And line up babysitters too!)

The Director of Correspondence could ensure that birthday, anniversary, and holiday cards arrive on time instead of a month late.  He could separate spam emails from signficant stuff and figure out who lurks behind Facebook friend requests.

The deputy assigned to the Policy and Projects portfolio could organize the hundreds of photos parked on my computer, unclutter my closets, and make homemade cupcakes and crafts for special events. Vitally, the domestic staff could keep us fed, clean, and clothed.

Unfortunately, even though I work for the government, a First Lady-caliber entourage is a dream. But maybe I don’t need as much help as Michelle Obama does.

After all, Obama is a public figure, appearing everywhere from federal agencies to France to promote the President’s agenda and her own policy initiatives.  She advocates for military and working families and encourages healthy eating and nutrition. (Just ask Elmo.) She also has to fulfill the First Lady’s traditional duties, entertaining Cabinet members’ spouses for lunch one day and visiting foreign delegations the next. Obama receives thousands of letters a day and what seems like a million (judging by magazine covers) requests for interviews and photo shoots. And she has to live up to America’s often irreconcilable and unrealistic expectations of a First Lady.

I just have to take care of my family and myself and do my job. I don’t have 5000 people tromping through my house every day. Most of my personal correspondence is junk mail. Media inquiries, sadly, are non-existent. The only expectations I have to live up to are my own. And they are extremely adjustable.

Besides, I do get a lot of support from my husband (aka "Chief of Staff"), my family, and my friends - and from my children’s daycare and preschool teachers. Still, I could use some more help. So, if you’re looking for a challenge and you don’t require any pay or benefits, send along your resume to momspa.net - ATTN: Stacy’s Staff Search.

Comments

[Lisa]

Another fun read, and also thought provoking. One way I've coped with the lack of "staff" is by adapting a line I've always told my kids ("if you come home dirty, it means you had a good time") to other areas of our life. Beds not made? It must mean we were having too much fun doing something else. Toys scattered everywhere? Same reason.

[mm]

Very clever! I love it, as usual!