Life in the White House felt more like confinement to Michelle. However, although she struggled to balance her needs and those of others, she learned to adjust and meet the expectations that people had for the First Lady. It came to Michelle’s attention that their presence outside the White House caused “disruption to any normal scene” (Obama 274). In the light of this, Michelle states that although she and her husband “had surrendered to the idea that there was no longer room for impulsiveness and whimsy in our own lives” they were ready to fight for their children to have an opportunity to simply be children (Obama 277).

The author knew that regardless of what she chose to do, some people would be disappointed while others would interpret her messages in different than intended ways. As a result, she writes that her goal was to make her first initiative something other than governmental, thereby leaving politics to Barack. Michelle was not interested in following the "tenets of the political world" but instead, she focused on doing an interview with health magazines geared towards children and their parents (Obama 281). She knew it would take organization and commitment to make a health initiative work, but Michelle knew this would be fulfilling.