From the Mouths of Babes: Sons and Daughters to Work Day at the White House

The first lady chats with the children of White House staff.

Are You Having Fun Today? - The children of Obama administration officials and staffers no doubt often lament the long and laborious hours that their parents work, but all is likely forgotten with a special day at the White House. During this year's Bring Your Sons and Daughters to Work Day, dozens of children filled the East Room, where they peppered the first lady with questions that ranged from her favorite food and foreign city to what it's like to live in the White House. One thing was clear: like the rest of America, they adore Michelle Obama. Share the conversation with your kids. –  Joyce Jones (@BETpolitichick)  (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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Are You Having Fun Today? - The children of Obama administration officials and staffers no doubt often lament the long and laborious hours that their parents work, but all is likely forgotten with a special day at the White House. During this year's Bring Your Sons and Daughters to Work Day, dozens of children filled the East Room, where they peppered the first lady with questions that ranged from her favorite food and foreign city to what it's like to live in the White House. One thing was clear: like the rest of America, they adore Michelle Obama. Share the conversation with your kids. –  Joyce Jones (@BETpolitichick) (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

What's Your Place to Travel To? - We’ve been to so many great places.  Rome is a beautiful city, and that trip was really special because we got to meet the Pope.  The food is really good.  We just came back from China, which was incredibly interesting.  The culture and the country is so very different from ours, so it was really good to be in a place where I didn’t -- where it didn’t feel anything like this country.  But I also like to travel a lot to places right here in the United States.I love to travel.  That’s one of the things I hope to do more of while -- the last few years while we’re here in the White House, and hopefully take the girls to some more interesting places and expose them to a little bit more.  (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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What's Your Place to Travel To? - We’ve been to so many great places.  Rome is a beautiful city, and that trip was really special because we got to meet the Pope.  The food is really good.  We just came back from China, which was incredibly interesting.  The culture and the country is so very different from ours, so it was really good to be in a place where I didn’t -- where it didn’t feel anything like this country.  But I also like to travel a lot to places right here in the United States.I love to travel.  That’s one of the things I hope to do more of while -- the last few years while we’re here in the White House, and hopefully take the girls to some more interesting places and expose them to a little bit more. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

What Is Your Favorite Thing to Eat? -  Okay, so I’m going to give you my favorite healthy thing to eat, which actually is my favorite thing to eat:  Pizza.  Yes.  But usually when I have pizza -- all right, don’t get mad at me -- I do veggie pizzas. ...But if I’m really being bad, if I want my favorite junk food -- some kids asked me this just the other day -- one of my favorite, favorite junk foods are French fries.  I love French fries.(Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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What Is Your Favorite Thing to Eat? - Okay, so I’m going to give you my favorite healthy thing to eat, which actually is my favorite thing to eat:  Pizza.  Yes.  But usually when I have pizza -- all right, don’t get mad at me -- I do veggie pizzas. ...But if I’m really being bad, if I want my favorite junk food -- some kids asked me this just the other day -- one of my favorite, favorite junk foods are French fries.  I love French fries.(Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Do You Miss Your Old Job? - I don’t know if I miss the job -- sorry to the folks I used to work with, love you guys -- but I think this is a pretty cool job.  But sometimes I miss, like, a normal life without security jobs. Sometimes I miss being able to walk out the front door and go wherever I want to whenever I want to.   But the truth is, I have a really cool job.  I mean, I get to have an effect on issues that really matter.  And there are few jobs in the world that I can say I could ever do that.  So with all of the tough stuff that comes with living in the White House or whatever, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.  So this is kind of a pretty neat job. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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Do You Miss Your Old Job? - I don’t know if I miss the job -- sorry to the folks I used to work with, love you guys -- but I think this is a pretty cool job.  But sometimes I miss, like, a normal life without security jobs. Sometimes I miss being able to walk out the front door and go wherever I want to whenever I want to.   But the truth is, I have a really cool job.  I mean, I get to have an effect on issues that really matter.  And there are few jobs in the world that I can say I could ever do that.  So with all of the tough stuff that comes with living in the White House or whatever, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.  So this is kind of a pretty neat job. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

My dad’s been out of a job for three years and I wanted to give you his resume. - You are so sweet.  Oh, my goodness.  Good job.  I will take it.  Well, it’s a little private, but she’s doing something for her dad.  Got it.(Photo: Evan Vucci/AP Photo)

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My dad’s been out of a job for three years and I wanted to give you his resume. - You are so sweet.  Oh, my goodness.  Good job.  I will take it.  Well, it’s a little private, but she’s doing something for her dad.  Got it.(Photo: Evan Vucci/AP Photo)

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When You First Came Here, Did You Ever Get Lost? - You don't get to come to the White House until you are living in the Whte House. ...After a long day of parades, that's when you walkin into this house. And all of your stuff is here and unpacked, but you've never seen it before. You don't even know where your kids are. We couldn’t find our children.  I didn’t know where the bathroom was.  And there are all these doors, and they were all closed, and I was going in and out of doors and they weren’t rooms, they were closets.  (Photo : SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

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When You First Came Here, Did You Ever Get Lost? - You don't get to come to the White House until you are living in the Whte House. ...After a long day of parades, that's when you walkin into this house. And all of your stuff is here and unpacked, but you've never seen it before. You don't even know where your kids are. We couldn’t find our children.  I didn’t know where the bathroom was.  And there are all these doors, and they were all closed, and I was going in and out of doors and they weren’t rooms, they were closets.  (Photo : SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

Do you like living and Working in the White House? - I do.  I mean, I feel like this is a great honor to be the caretakers of what we call the “People’s House.”  Because we’re just living here for a few years.  This house belongs to America.  And it’s really a nice responsibility to take care of it and make sure that as many people around the country and around the world have access to it.  So we love holding events and doing things like this, where you guys get to come in and sit in the East Room and ask questions. (Photo: Joyce Jones/BET)

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Do you like living and Working in the White House? - I do.  I mean, I feel like this is a great honor to be the caretakers of what we call the “People’s House.”  Because we’re just living here for a few years.  This house belongs to America.  And it’s really a nice responsibility to take care of it and make sure that as many people around the country and around the world have access to it.  So we love holding events and doing things like this, where you guys get to come in and sit in the East Room and ask questions. (Photo: Joyce Jones/BET)

Who Takes Care of the Dogs When You're Busy? - We’ve got one of our best staff people, one of my favorite people, Dale.  He is the primary keeper of the dogs, and he’s one of the head gardeners, one of the head people who handles the grounds out here. Dale picks them up every morning at 7:30 or so, and they go off to work.  And they’re very excited about their day.  They walk all over the White House. They’re in the West Wing; they’re in the East Wing. ...They're with Dale until about 1:00, and then they come home, and they're very tired. They're home by the time we get home and the girls get home. So it's good because they spend the day out in the sun, they're walking around, they're meeting people. They're our best ambassadors. (Photo: Joyce Jones/BET)

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Who Takes Care of the Dogs When You're Busy? - We’ve got one of our best staff people, one of my favorite people, Dale.  He is the primary keeper of the dogs, and he’s one of the head gardeners, one of the head people who handles the grounds out here. Dale picks them up every morning at 7:30 or so, and they go off to work.  And they’re very excited about their day.  They walk all over the White House. They’re in the West Wing; they’re in the East Wing. ...They're with Dale until about 1:00, and then they come home, and they're very tired. They're home by the time we get home and the girls get home. So it's good because they spend the day out in the sun, they're walking around, they're meeting people. They're our best ambassadors. (Photo: Joyce Jones/BET)

Do You Enjoy Planting Your Garden? - Yes, because, you know, one of the things we do when we plant, we always invite students from the area who come and help.  ...And when we harvest, we invite a lot of those kids back, and they get to see the garden -- what it was when they planted it, and how beautiful and lush it gets when everything is growing.  And we actually cook from the garden out on the South Lawn.  We make veggie pizzas and the kids get to eat the vegetables.    (Photo : Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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Do You Enjoy Planting Your Garden? - Yes, because, you know, one of the things we do when we plant, we always invite students from the area who come and help.  ...And when we harvest, we invite a lot of those kids back, and they get to see the garden -- what it was when they planted it, and how beautiful and lush it gets when everything is growing.  And we actually cook from the garden out on the South Lawn.  We make veggie pizzas and the kids get to eat the vegetables.  (Photo : Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

What Do You Like About Being First Lady? - I like spending time with kids like you guys.  I really do.  My best days are when I’m with kids like you.  Because I think that I have so much hope for you guys, and I want you guys to have all the opportunities that you deserve to be really great adults. And I know your parents love you.  It’s hard not to love great kids like you guys.  So it’s easy for me to hang out with you guys, because you all are smart.  And I know you’re kind, and you’re decent young people.  And who wouldn’t want to hang out with you guys?(Photo: Joyce Jones/BET)

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What Do You Like About Being First Lady? - I like spending time with kids like you guys.  I really do.  My best days are when I’m with kids like you.  Because I think that I have so much hope for you guys, and I want you guys to have all the opportunities that you deserve to be really great adults. And I know your parents love you.  It’s hard not to love great kids like you guys.  So it’s easy for me to hang out with you guys, because you all are smart.  And I know you’re kind, and you’re decent young people.  And who wouldn’t want to hang out with you guys?(Photo: Joyce Jones/BET)