Bush twins offer advice for Sasha, Malia

updated 7:05 p.m. ET Jan. 20, 2009

WASHINGTON - Just in time for move-in day, the Bush twins offered their best advice Tuesday to Sasha and Malia Obama on living in a "magical place" called the White House.

In an open letter to the Obama kids, 27-year-olds Barbara Bush and Jenna Hager advised the girls to relish it all — to "go to anything and everything you possibly can."

"Just go," they wrote in a letter published in the Wall Street Journal. "Four years goes by so fast, so absorb it all, enjoy it all!"

The twins reminisced about their favorite memories of the White House, and gave plenty of specific advice, too, to 7-year-old Sasha and 10-year-old Malia:

• Surround yourselves with loyal friends.
• Trick-or-treat down the plane aisle if you're traveling on Halloween.
• Cherish your pets "because sometimes you'll need the quiet comfort that only animals can provide."
• And this: "Slide down the banister of the solarium, go to T-ball games, have swimming parties, and play Sardines on the White House lawn. Have fun and enjoy your childhood in such a magical place to live and play."

Sardines is a variation of hide-and-seek.

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The twins turned serious at the end, recalling how the public image of their own father got distorted over the years.

"He is our father, not the sketch in the paper or part of a skit on TV," they wrote.

As for the Obama girls' dad, they added: "Many people will think they know him, but they have no idea how he felt the day you were born, the pride he felt on your first day of school, or how much you both love being his daughters. So here is our most important piece of advice: remember who your dad really is."

The entire letter is online at online.wsj.com/article/SB123239885943895155.html

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