Malia and Sasha's big move

The moment revealed Obama's ambivalence even as he prepared to move his daughters -- Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7 -- into the fishbowl known as the American presidency: when to share them with the country and when to snap the curtains shut.

As the youngest children to occupy the White House since the Kennedys', the Obama daughters -- or Rosebud and Radiance, as the Secret Service dubs them -- are poised to serve a dual role in America's new first family. They humanize a future president seen by some as aloof, while presenting an image of vitality to a nation mired in economic despair.

Already, there is talk of sleepovers, bedroom makeovers, soccer balls and a hypoallergenic puppy at a White House that for years has seemed cloistered and off-limits. Glimpses of the girls fidgeting and yawning as their parents voted on election day, or kissing the president-elect goodbye as he dropped them off at school offered a point of personal connection with everyday Americans, whether or not they voted for Obama.

But sharing his daughters with the country exposes them to the harsh scrutiny that has plagued first families since the nation's founding, ever more pervasive in today's relentless news cycle and often-vicious blogosphere.

Past presidents took varied approaches. The Clintons virtually hid Chelsea, who was 12 when she came to the White House, from mass media exposure. Over the objections of his wife, President Kennedy beckoned photographers into his children's lives; Jackie was out of town when the celebrated under-the-desk photograph of John Jr. was taken.

The Obamas have signaled they will land somewhere in between, allowing discreet peeks at a family life that includes Uno tournaments and charades, bike rides and a lot of reading aloud. (Malia and her father cracked the Harry Potter series together.) But most of it will be presented with images, narration and little direct access. "Right now they're not self-conscious . . . they don't have an attitude," Obama said of his daughters in a "60 Minutes" interview that aired Sunday, calling their well-being "one of my greatest worries."