Michelle Obama Posts Tribute To Mom Marian Robinson, Her ‘Rock’ And ‘Best Friend,’ Ahead Of Mother’s Day

Michelle Obama is getting a head start on Mother’s Day this year. In a new post on her Instagram account Friday morning, the former first lady posted a note expressing gratitude to her mother, Marian Robinson. Along with the note reflecting on the lessons her mother had taught her and her brother Craig, Obama also offered an outtake from the new Netflix documentary, Becoming.

In the clip, Robinson says there was “no secret” to raising her children.

“I had fun with my kids. I just couldn’t wait to see what they were going to come in and say next, because it was always something,” the 82-year-old mother of two said.

Obama continued the warm feelings in the caption to the post, which explained that Robinson had always given her and her brother the chance to ask questions and express ideas. The former first lady said that her mother always took her seriously, and considered what she and Craig had to say before offering thoughtful questions in response.

Obama said that Robinson’s parenting style had had an enormous influence on how she raised her own daughters, and that, at every turn, her mother was empowering her to be herself. She concluded the message by telling her mother that she had been a “rock” and a “guiding light” for her throughout her life.

Robinson lived with the first family in the White House during President Barack Obama’s eight years in office. She also appeared frequently in Becoming, which offers new insights into Michelle’s life and her time as first lady. The documentary follows Michelle on her sold-out book tour, and also features a return to her childhood home in Chicago.

In 2019, Michelle penned a note in People in honor of Mother’s Day, in which she paid tribute to her mother’s legacy. In the essay, she discussed the way both of her parents, and especially her mother, were able to fan the flames inside both her and her brother. She wrote that, as a parent, it was important to acknowledge the differences in attitude and passion that run through each child.

“I know that not every girl is like me, including my own daughters. Malia and Sasha both have different temperaments, different sensibilities, different flames. Neither of them burns the same way that I do or that Barack does. That unique flare is what makes them who they are, and that’s what I love about them,” she wrote at the time.