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When I realized that President-elect Barack Obama would be moving into the White House with children the same age as my young’uns (10 and 7), my palms got sweaty and butterflies fluttered wildly in my gut.
That’s because my two are accidents waiting to happen. Especially my 7-year-old boy, who has never met an appliance he didn’t want to take apart or a fine piece of china not worth trying out as a Frisbee. He has a black eye at the moment from, he says, “getting in a fight with the concrete floor.” When he was 2, he accidentally called 911. He was delighted when a fire truck, police car and ambulance came flashing and howling up our quiet North Asheville street. No telling who he’d manage to dial from the White House. Maybe Nicolas Sarkozy?
In truth, the Obama girls — Malia and Sasha — seem remarkably poised already. They were amazing on election night. If I’d made my kids stay up until midnight, put on party clothes and smile and wave in front of millions of people, there would have been tears. Or a tantrum on national television. Or my girl would need to pee really badly the exact moment she was supposed to walk on stage.
I confess to thinking, “Thank goodness the Obama kids are girls.” Not that girls can’t be rambunctious. But in my experience, they aren’t the perpetual motion machines that little boys are. As my pediatrician once said, “A little testosterone goes a loooong way.”
But what an experience for those Obama kids! And what a nightmare for their parents! In addition to worrying about breakage of irreplaceable historic items, trying to provide the girls with a somewhat normal childhood will prove challenging.
Then again, I wonder if Secret Service agents do double duty as baby sitters. Do they intervene if their assignee’s about to get in a black-eye-producing fight with the floor? Or only if the situation seems life-threatening? Having Secret Service dudes following my 7-year-old around 24/7 might be a good thing.
Presidential kids intrigue me, particularly since they aren’t my kids, so I decided to research those who spent part of their youth at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Here’s your history lesson for today: When Abraham Lincoln became president in 1860, he brought two sons with him who were the same ages as the Obama girls — Willie was 10 and Tad was 7.
The Lincoln boys set the standard for mischievousness in the White House. Tad was credited with setting all the bells in the White House to ring at once, thus confusing everyone who worked there (pre-intercom days). He also once harnessed a pair of goats to a kitchen chair and rode through the East Room. Tad and my boy would have had a ball together.
Teddy Roosevelt brought six kids to the White House with him in 1901. Although four of the six were male, it was oldest daughter Alice who proved to be most rambunctious. Roosevelt said of her, “I can be president of the United States, or I can control Alice. I cannot possibly do both.”
John F. Kennedy Jr. was born just 16 days after his father was elected. He remains one of the few kids to spend his infancy in the White House. Caroline Kennedy was 3 when JFK was elected in 1960. The public’s reaction was similar to that of 100 years earlier with the Lincoln children—the kids became mini-celebrities and remained so after (and possibly partially because of) their father’s assassination.
The last person to spend part of her childhood in the White House was Chelsea Clinton (the Bush twins were already in college when mom and dad moved to D.C.). Chelsea was a precocious 12-year-old who, despite growing up in the middle of a media maelstrom, has become a polished, articulate young woman. If I were Michelle Obama, I’d be talking to Hillary about girl-raising in the White House.
Before Chelsea, there was Amy Carter. Amy was 9 when she moved into the White House, close to the ages of the Obama girls. She, too, turned out well, despite four years as the nation’s little girl.
That’s pretty much it as far as kids growing up in the White House over the past 150 years or so. Until now, Americans have preferred their presidents to be older white men. Barack Obama had his kids later in life (he’s now 47), but he’s still one of the younger presidents elected.
Along with the rest of the world, I’ll be watching Obama grow into his role. And I’ll be watching the Obama girls grow up in the White House as my kids grow up in our Green House. And I’ll remain glad it’s not us in the nation’s capital, our every move scrutinized. Though I’m still weighing the pros and cons of the Secret Service.
The Obamas also plan to bring a puppy with them to D.C. I haven’t even begun to get my head around house-training a puppy in the White House.
Anne Fitten “Edgy Mama” Glenn writes about a number of subjects, including parenting, at www.edgymama.com..
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I get a feeling that Malia is a little ball of fire - she should be fun. And unlike Teddy, controlling my Sonny Boy is not always possible. I think it would be easier to be President most days. But wouldn’t change him for the world - it’s the fireballs who don’t bow down to authority who can change the world. |
Rio Nov 17, 2008 |
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GREAT COLUMN!!!! I couldn’t imagine chasing my four kids around the white house. Or even think about training a PUPPY!!!!! They will have their hands full! |
 Nov 17, 2008 at |
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Thanks, Supermom. I’m interested in how you all responded to the “history lesson” in this column. I found researching kids who’ve lived in the White House pretty fascinating, but it’s a bit of a departure from the norm for me. Any feedback? |
 Nov 20, 2008 at |
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I am glad you asked this because I was curious myself about kids in the White House. The topic was brought up in our house election night. I am glad you did the research and I now know all the answers. I would be so afraid to have my kids living in a home with so many “historical valuables” sitting around. However, I would really enjoy them meeting all these important political figures. It’s a good thing that the MIL is coming as well. Michelle :) |
Nov 20, 2008 at |
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And still Michelle Obama is now a Vogue cover girl! Particularly, she wants to focus on raising her kids, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7. “I’m going to try to take them to school every morning, as much as I can,” Obama told the magazine. “But there’s also a measure of independence. And obviously there will be times I won’t be able to drop them off at all. “I like to be a presence in my kids’ school. I want to know the teachers; I want to know the other parents,” she said. With the exception of Bess Truman, every first lady since Lou Henry Hoover (President Herbert Hoover’s wife) in 1929 has been featured in Vogue. But only two have been lucky to land a cover of this fashion bible. |
 Apr 20, 2009 at |
