Family Is First For First Lady

For the first time since her twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna, were cited for underage drinking, first lady Laura Bush has spoken out on the subject.

In an exclusive interview with CBS News White House Correspondent Bill Plante, Mrs. Bush said there's been too much coverage of the 19-year-olds' run-ins with the law.

"They're doing great," she declared. "They're great girls. They're really terrific girls.

"I think every parent of a teenager understands exactly what George and I think right now," she said, and says what they say to their children is "totally private. That's just something that's between us and them, and I think people in America understand that."

The first lady refused to comment on the issue of whether 19-year-olds who can drive, vote and fight in wars should be able to have a drink.

She has said that politics is tough on families.

Reuters

The president and first lady on the European trip together

She admits she was surprised by the attention people pay to how she dresses, her hairstyle and other seemingly-unimportant matters, even though her mother-in-law was also a first lady.

"I didn't really expect people to talk a lot about how I wore my hair or how I dress. So I'll admit it, I'm paying a lot more attention," she said.

She said intends to keep working on education issues while her husband is president.

"I'm going to keep doing the things I've always done, which are working on education, talking about teaching, trying to inform parents about ways they can help their child become a better student," she said.

"I think our biggest problem is that we are desperate to recruit teachers," she added. "We need a lot more teachers. We need very qualified teachers all over our whole country and many, many school districts have a shortage of teachers, and I think the one most important aspect of anyone's education is their teacher."

©MMI Viacom Internet Services Inc., All Rights Reserved