While sitting down with Michelle Obama for a British Vogue interviewMeghan Markle — who is guest-editing the upcoming September issue — may have learned more than originally bargained for. In fact, the former First Lady not only opened up about life in and out of the White House, but also dished some friendly parenting advice for the Duchess of Sussex.

“Try as we might, there’s only so much we can control. And, boy, have I tried — especially at first,” Michelle, 55, admitted to the 37-year-old royal “over a casual lunch of chicken tacos” for the Forces for Change issue. “As mothers, we just don’t want anything or anyone to hurt our babies. But life has other plans. Bruised knees, bumpy roads and broken hearts are part of the deal.”

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Michelle — who shares Malia Obama, 21, and Sasha Obama, 18, with husband Barack Obama — added that motherhood eventually taught her to step back and give her daughters space to “to explore and develop” into who they want to be. “Not who I want them to be or who I wish I was at that age, but who they are, deep inside,” she explained to Meghan, who welcomed her first child, son Archie Harrison, on May 6 with husband Prince Harry.

“Motherhood has also taught me that my job is not to bulldoze a path for them in an effort to eliminate all possible adversity,” she continued. “But instead, I need to be a safe and consistent place for them to land when they inevitably fail; and to show them, again and again, how to get up on their own.”

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The Becoming author also emphasized the importance of opening your mind and heart to new things while growing up. “I tell them that I hope they’ll keep trying on new experiences until they find what feels right. And what felt right yesterday might not necessarily feel right today,” Michelle further explained. “Becoming who we are is an ongoing process, and thank God — because where’s the fun in waking up one day and deciding there’s nowhere left to go? That’s something I wish I’d recognized a little earlier.”

News that the former Suits actress would guest-edit the upcoming September issue of British Vogue first made headlines in early June. However, the royal family confirmed the exciting news in a social media post shared to Harry, 34, and Meghan’s Instagram account on Sunday, July 28.

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While revealing the rare interview for the upcoming issue, Meghan opened up about creating “a magazine that would speak not just to where we are, but to where we hope to be” and the choice of including Michelle. “My first thought was that it needed to be someone kind, inspirational, motivating, funny, with gravitas and as much depth as levity,” the royal explained. “My second thought: it needed to be Michelle Obama.”

We can’t wait to get our hands on a copy! The September issue of British Vogue will be available on digital download and on newsstands Friday, August 2.