White House Family Values: Where Are the Boys?

[Pirate Smile]

White House Family Values: Where Are the Boys?



In at least one respect, President Barack Obama is not bringing change to Washington. Just like the Bush administration, and the Clintons, Nixons and Johnsons before that, Obama will oversee a White House unencumbered by male children. In the 80 years before the Obama administration, only the Kennedys brought a boy into the White House.

-snip-
So why no modern manlings in the east wing? I have a theory, born of careful historical analysis and solipsism: It's impossible to be elected to the White House if you have young sons, because that would mean you have to campaign with them.
Campaigning and raising sons are mutually exclusive. Campaigning requires lots of travel, enormous amounts of time in the public eye and months and months of sitting down quietly listening to the same guy talking while wearing your good clothes. It's like 11 straight months of being in church when you're the preacher's kid — with long car rides in between. It's torture on adults, let alone children. But it's worse for boys. Try this experiment: next month ask your son to be on his best behavior in front of other people, from now until November 2009. See how far you get.

-snip-
And then there's Roosevelt. Teddy and Ethel moved in with two daughters, Alice and Ethel, and four sons: Ted Jr., Kermit, Archie and Quentin. The White House has been recovering ever since.

"Roosevelt's sons were fantastic scoundrels," says Bonnie Angelo, author of First Families: The Impact of the White House on Their Lives. They would sneak around behind the lamplighter on Lafayette Square extinguishing the lamps he lit. They'd slide down the grand staircase on kitchen trays. "When Archie was sick, his brother Quentin — with the aid of a White House staffer — brought their pony Algonquin up to his room in the elevator to make him feel better," says Angelo. These pranks were tolerated, she notes, because the President enjoyed them more than anyone. "The only thing he stopped the boys doing was shooting spitballs at one of the early presidential portraits."
Jack Ford wasn't even a young man when he moved in, but he still gave his parents agita. On one occasion says Angelo, "he had a young lady visiting him in his quarters when he heard his mother showing Barbara Walters around the residence." He managed to avoid making what could have been television history, but it was a close call.

In tough times like these, it would be nice to have a bit of that harmless White House mischief. And the Obamas are still a young couple. With ready access to government-sponsored childcare. No pressure of course, but would it be too much to ask to give the ol' dice another roll? Maybe you can't campaign with a son, but it sure sounds like fun to try and govern with one.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1868084,00.html

[theoldman]

1. Not to worry.

In a few more years the oldest Obama girl will bring in her boyfriends. After Barack gives them a lecture they will act like little angels.

[zbdent]

4. It does kinda kill the moment when

the Secret Service guy shows you his weapon, saying "I know how to take you down, should you make a wrong move ..."

"Release first base and back away from the First Daughter ..."

[louis-t]

2. Very interesting.

The lack of male children in the WH had not even occured to me.

[rug]

3. Ford had sons, though grown.

Reagan had grown sons as well.

GHWB had demon spawn.

[salin]

7. As did Carter... I remember Amy being in school - but not sure how old

brother Chip was when Carter came to the White House.

[Drunken Irishman]

9. Yeah, but I think this article just focuses on children.

Roosevelt had boys, too, but I don't think they ever grew up in the White House.

[Mass]

5. I do not think John Edwards lost two elections because of his son Jack,

anymore that Chris Dodd lost the last one because of his two young daughters.

Even though the fact that there were no young sons in the WH (were there young daughters, with the exception of the Kennedy kids? This is a point nobody is asking. Chelsea was 12 during the 92 campaign, but Al Gore III was 9 at the time. Amy Carter was 9. I think this is all. Not exactly a lot either.

So, the point seems kind of moot. People who win the WH tend to have grown up kids, sons or daughter, because they tend to be in their 50s of 60s.

[Mass]

6. The premise is kind of light. In 40 years, only 4 families had kids less than 13.

Kennedy, Carter, Clinton, and Obama.

It would be more interesting to wonder why these families are all Democrats, than about the sex of their kids.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

8. Sexist tripe. nt

[Clio the Leo]

10. Given the mess that the LAST Presidential son turned out to be...

... I'll happily take the girls. lol

As for harmless mischief .......



I bet Sasha's got that one covered. :)

One of the best parts of that Access Hollywood interview the family did was when Malia TRIED to tell the reporter about her little sister being a bully only to be cut off my her mother and father who wouldn't allow her to tell the story. I give Sasha until the end of Inauguration week before they find her in the White House chocolate kitchen (that's where I would be if were seven!)