[Mhiz Rebecca]

A week before their dad leaves the White House,
Malia and Sasha Obama received praise and
advice from the daughters of former president
George W. Bush as they exit the public spotlight.
“Eight years ago on a cold November day, we
greeted you on the steps of the White House. We
saw both the light and wariness in your eyes as
you gazed at your new home,” 35-year-old twins
Jenna and Barbara Bush said in an co-written
article posted late Thursday on Time Magazine’s
website.
“In eight years, you have done so much. Seen so
much,” the Bush daughters wrote.
“We have watched you grow from girls to
impressive young women with grace and ease…
Now you are about to join another rarified club,
one of former First Children.”
Malia Obama, 18, is taking a gap year after
graduating high school, before she enrols next
year at Harvard College.
Younger sister Sasha, 15, has another couple of
years of high school ahead, which is the reason
the first family have given for remaining in
Washington after Obama hands over to President-
elect Donald Trump.
The Bush twins offered words of encouragement
and advice as the Obama girls prepare to leave
White House.
“Enjoy college. As most of the world knows, we
did,” the Bush twins wrote, in a joking reference
to news accounts of the minor scandals that
erupted over their alcohol use while in college.
“Explore your passions. Learn who you are. Make
mistakes — you are allowed to. Continue to
surround yourself with loyal friends who know
you, adore you and will fiercely protect you,” they
wrote.
“Those who judge you don’t love you, and their
voices shouldn’t hold weight. Rather, it’s your own
hearts that matter.”
Jenna and Barbara Bush grew up in Texas and
graduated high school in 2000, the year their
father was elected president.
The Republican served two terms before being
succeeded by Obama.
Barbara Bush is now a health care advocate living
in New York, while Jenna Bush Hager is a
television correspondent and married mother of
two young children.