Former first lady Michelle Obama said her daughters Malia and Sasha played a lot of pretend when they were growing up in the White House.

Not make-believe. More like, pretend-those-armed-Secret-Service-agents-aren't-there pretend, Obama told Gayle King during a CBS interview at the Essence Festival in New Orleans this weekend.

"Imagine having Malia and Sasha come to your house for a sleepover," Obama said. “It’s like, 'Hello. OK, we’re going to need your Social Security number, we’re going to need your date of birth. There are going to be men coming to sweep your house. If you have guns and drugs, just tell them yes because they are going to find them anyway. Don’t lie. They’re not going to take them, they just need to know where they are. And, uh, thank you for having Malia and Sasha over. Oh, and by the way, there is going to be a man with a gun sitting outside all night. If you let him use the bathroom, that would be nice.'"

Those eight years in the White House made making friends a chore.

"I’m surprised my kids have any friends," she joked.

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Pretend the craziness wasn't happening

Malia turned 21 on the Fourth of July and Sasha celebrated her 18th birthday in June.

Obama, 55, said she and Barack relied on their "regular folks" upbringing to help keep their daughters grounded.

"I credit my own upbringing, me and Barack," she said. "We were regular folks, up until he gave that speech at the convention and it was like all of a sudden he was shot out of a rocket."

After that, the Obamas advised Malia and Sasha to keep their focus on where they were going and what they were doing, and less on the omnipresent Secret Service agents.

"Our focus was to make sure they did what they needed to do, and that meant pretend like all the craziness around them wasn't happening," she explained. "For eight years we were like, 'Yup, your dad's president. That doesn't have anything to do with you. Take your butt to school. Yes, you have security, just ignore them, they're not here for you.'"

Secret Service made dating difficult for Obama kids

In her book, "Becoming," Obama said she had a tender spot in her heart for protective agents. But, she admitted to King, their ever-present nature made it hard for her daughters to date.

"I mean, my kids had armed guards with them at all times," she said. "Imagine trying to have your first kiss with a bunch of men (around)."

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