This past weekend the media was all over an Obama family member. I'm not talking about the president of the United States, instead I'm referring to the first daughter, Malia Obama. She decided not to attend the Democratic National Convention and go to her hometown of Chicago for the Lollapalooza Music Festival. Some criticized her actions and behavior through social media when videos of her dancing surfaced online. I'm rooting for her however and am happy that she is getting the chance to enjoy herself as a normal teenager, and it shouldn't be anyone's business what she does.

Malia has been living under a high radar at the White House for over eight years, she has been surrounded with high security men, political figures and the media for almost her entire childhood. I imagine it must not be the easiest thing to be living under so much pressure and not having complete free time while the secret service are always having to baby sit and moderate your actions. I imagine Malia and her youngest sister Sasha, as many President daughter movies show how difficult it can be to act normal outside the White House. Movies like "Chasing liberty", "My date with The Presidents Daughter" and "First Daughter", are the prime examples of how we all imagine their lifestyle.

While Malia is about to experience normalcy after her father leaves office next year, she got a head start to act like a normal young girl would, yet she was highly criticized for it. I believe she has all the right to be her normal self. She's a recent high school graduate who is experiencing life as any young teen would. Following her parents' footsteps, she will attend Harvard; however, she decided to take a gap year before starting college. Many people have their own opinion on taking a gap year, I personally think it's a great option for those who want to travel the world or want some time off of studies to reflect on their future goals and gain maturity.

Malia has the right to take a gap year and skip the Democratic National Convention to enjoy her young life. While many people report her outings as news, there is so much more real news currently happening in the world that needs to be reported, instead of judging a teenager and calling it news. Malia not attending the Democratic National Convention doesn't mean she doesn't care about politics, she basically grew up around it. She is just enjoying her last adolescent years before she has to deal with college and growing up. The best thing to do in that age is to create memories before your youth years end, and Malia Obama is the prime example of a future college student enjoying her time before going into the real world of adulthood.