'We are proud of the amazing women you have become': Jenna Bush breaks down in tears as she and sister Barbara read letter to Malia and Sasha Obama praising their years in the White House

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Jenna Bush Hager broke down in tears Friday morning after she and sister Barbara read aloud the heartfelt letter they penned for Malia and Sasha Obama as the girls prepare to exit the White House after eight years at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

'It's amazing how eight years go by and they become these really amazing women,' said an emotional Jenna.

'And we just wanted to make sure they knew.'

The Bush twins are two of just a handful of Americans who have lived in the White House as children of the president, moving in when their father assumed office in 2001. 

Their letter bookends the one the two sisters first wrote back in 2009 to Malia and Sasha when they first entered the White House. 

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Emotional moment: Jenna Bush Hager broke down in tears on Today (above) while speaking about Malia and Sasha Obama

Sasha, aged seven (middle left), and 10-year-old Malia (middle right) enjoying their first taste of fame as they celebrate their father's victory in the 2008 Presidential Election at Grant Park in Chicago

In the beginning: The Bush twins also recall first meeting Sasha, then 7, and a 10-year-old Malia to give them a tour of the White House

The twins however were 20 - two years older than Malia is now - when their father, became president. 

Jenna and Barbara write in their letter of first meeting Malia, then 10, and a 7-year-old Sasha to give them a tour of the White House.

'We saw both the light and wariness in your eyes as you gazed at your new home,' reads the letter. 

The note goes on to remind the two girls all that they have been able to see and experience in the past eight years, and let them know how remarkably they have handled themselves under the glare of a spotlight they did not ask for.

'We have watched you grow from girls to impressive young women with grace and ease,' write Barbara and Jenna.'

'And through it all you had each other. Just like we did.'

'In eight years, you have done so much. Seen so much,' write Barbara and Jenna of the experience the Obama girls have had while their father was in office. 

THE BUSH TWINS' LETTER IN FULL

Malia and Sasha,

Eight years ago, on a cold November day, we greeted you on the steps of the White House. We saw both the light and wariness in your eyes as you gazed at your new home. We left our jobs in Baltimore and New York early and traveled to Washington to show you around. 

To show you the Lincoln Bedroom, and the bedrooms that were once ours, to introduce you to all the people—the florists, the grounds-keepers and the butlers—who dedicate themselves to making this historic house a home. 

The four of us wandered the majestic halls of the house you had no choice but to move in to. When you slid down the banister of the solarium, just as we had done as 8-year-olds and again as 20-year-olds chasing our youth, your joy and laughter were contagious.

In eight years, you have done so much. Seen so much. You stood at the gates of the Robben Island cell where South Africa’s Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for decades, your arms around your father. 

You traveled to Liberia and Morocco with your mom to talk with girls about the importance of education—girls who saw themselves in you, saw themselves in your parents, saw who they could become if they continued to study and learn. 

The Bush daughters first became familiar with the White House during the presidency of their grandfather, George H W Bush 

You attended state dinners, hiked in national parks, met international leaders and managed to laugh at your dad’s jokes during the annual Thanksgiving turkey pardon, all while being kids, attending school and making friends. 

We have watched you grow from girls to impressive young women with grace and ease.

And through it all you had each other. Just like we did.

Now you are about to join another rarified club, one of former First Children—a position you didn’t seek and one with no guidelines. But you have so much to look forward to. You will be writing the story of your lives, beyond the shadow of your famous parents, yet you will always carry with you the experiences of the past eight years.

Never forget the wonderful people who work at the White House. Our greeter as 7-year-olds at our grandfather’s Inauguration was Nancy, the White House florist, who ushered us in from the cold. She helped us make colorful bouquets of winter flowers for our grandparents’ bedside. 

Twenty years later, Nancy did the flowers for Jenna’s wedding. Cherish your own Nancy. We stay in touch with our Secret Service. They were part of growing up for us: there for first dates, first days and even an engagement and a honeymoon. We know it wasn’t always easy—the two of you and the two of us were teenagers trailed by men in backpacks—but they put their lives on hold for us.

Obama blows out candles on his cake at his 43rd birthday celebration with his family

Enjoy college. As most of the world knows, we did. And you won’t have the weight of the world on your young shoulders anymore. Explore your passions. Learn who you are. Make mistakes—you are allowed to. Continue to surround yourself with loyal friends who know you, adore you and will fiercely protect you. Those who judge you don’t love you, and their voices shouldn’t hold weight. Rather, it’s your own hearts that matter.

Take all that you have seen, the people you have met, the lessons you have learned, and let that help guide you in making positive change. We have no doubt you will. Traveling with our parents taught us more than any class could. It opened our eyes to new people as well as new cultures and ideas. 

We met factory workers in Michigan, teachers in California, doctors healing people on the Burmese border, kids who lined the dusty streets of Kampala to see the American President, and kids with HIV waiting to get the antiretroviral drugs that would save their lives. 

One tiny girl wearing her finest lavender dress looked young, which she was not. She was little because she was sick. Her mom admitted that she might not live to see these drugs work, but her brothers and sisters would. After meeting this girl, Barbara went back to school and changed her major, and her life’s path.

You have lived through the unbelievable pressure of the White House. You have listened to harsh criticism of your parents by people who had never even met them. You stood by as your precious parents were reduced to headlines. Your parents, who put you first and who not only showed you but gave you the world. As always, they will be rooting for you as you begin your next chapter. And so will we.

'You stood at the gates of the Robben Island cell where South Africa’s Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for decades, your arms around your father.

'You traveled to Liberia and Morocco with your mom to talk with girls about the importance of education—girls who saw themselves in you, saw themselves in your parents, saw who they could become if they continued to study and learn. 

'You attended state dinners, hiked in national parks, met international leaders and managed to laugh at your dad’s jokes during the annual Thanksgiving turkey pardon, all while being kids, attending school and making friends.'

The letter was first published by Time. 

The Bush twins were 18 - the age Malia is now - when their father, George W Bush, became president in 2001

Barbara Bush (left) and Jenna Bush Hager (right) at their father's inaugural ball in 2001. Their experience growing up in the White House wasn't always pleasant, they wrote to the Obamas  

As Malia heads to Harvard this fall, while Sasha remains in Washington to finish high school, the Bush twins advised them to take advantage of this youthful period of their lives. 

'[Y]ou won’t have the weight of the world on your young shoulders anymore. Explore your passions. Learn who you are. Make mistakes - you are allowed to.”

'Enjoy college. As most of the world knows, we did', the Bush twins wrote, a nod to the much-reported brushes with the law they both experienced while drinking underage.

But they wrote that developing relationships with the permanent staff in the White House helped them adjust. 

'You will be writing the story of your lives, beyond the shadow of your famous parents, yet you will always carry with you the experiences of the past eight years,' the Bush twins wrote. 

They encouraged Malia, 18, and Sasha, 15, to take advantage of this youthful period in their lives and to not be afraid of making mistakes 

They advised Sasha, now 15, and Malia to 'take all that you have seen, the people you have met, the lessons you have learned, and let that help guide you in making positive change'. 

'You have lived through the unbelievable pressure of the White House. You have listened to harsh criticism of your parents by people who had never even met them', the Bush twins wrote.

They also encouraged the Obama daughters to find ways to incorporate the lessons they learned in the White House into their future plans.

In particular, Barbara Bush noted the impact of one meeting with an HIV-positive girl who was waiting for antiretroviral drugs that could save her life. 

Barbara wrote that after meeting this girl she changed her college major and life's path. 

She went on to become the founder and chief executive of Global Health Corps.

Jenna Bush Hager is a correspondent with the Today show. 

This isn't the first time the Bush twins have written a letter of encouragement to the Obama sisters. A similar note was published in The Wall Street Journal in 2009

'You stood by as your precious parents were reduced to headlines. Your parents, who put you first and who not only showed you but gave you the world. As always, they will be rooting for you as you begin your next chapter. And so will we'. 

This isn't the first time the Bush twins have written a letter to the Obama sisters. 

A similar inspirational letter was published in The Wall Street Journal in 2009.