JFK Jr. Hid In Bushes With The Secret Service To Watch White House Events As A Kid
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The Kennedy clan could be likened to the British royal family in that they sometimes operate like an institution. For example, getting into politics is standard practice for many of those in the family that is sometimes referred to as the Kennedy dynasty. A few members have even gone to great lengths to ensure a passion for politics carries on in the younger generations. That likely includes former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, mom of John F. Kennedy Jr. — better known as JFK Jr.
According to one of the family's past Secret Service agents, she wanted to keep her son abreast of what was happening with his father's presidency. In an interview with People, agent Clint Hill stated that Jackie O. wanted her son to "understand and know what his father was doing." Which wasn't a problem for JFK Jr. because he reportedly loved the ostentatiousness of the White House and his dad's role in it.
So, the agent admitted that Jackie and JFK Jr. "would hide behind some bushes so that she could show and talk to John and tell him what's going on without anybody knowing about it." Usually, this secret setup would be used for special events or ceremonies, allowing JFK Jr. to watch the unfolding events without being photographed by the press.
Normalcy looked different for JFK Jr.
Despite wanting her son to know the ins and outs of the political world the Kennedy family operated in, Jackie Kennedy also wanted her kids to have a normal life. Hill noted that she "gave us implicit instructions that they should be permitted the opportunity to grow up as normal children as humanly possible." However, he admitted that was easier said than done.
Jackie was very careful about who she allowed around her children and tried her best to protect them from the media as much as she could. Though they lived in one of the most recognizable buildings in the world, Jackie tried to make it as homely as possible. She decorated John F. Kennedy Jr.'s bedroom with a personal touch and, according to "The Good Son: JFK Jr. and the Mother He Loved" by Christopher Andersen, she didn't want nannies or Secret Service agents to be the people taking care of her kids. She tried her utmost to be a hands-on mom.
Still, life probably looked slightly different for JFK Jr. than most kids. Pamela Keogh, author of "Jackie Style," explained to People how Jackie expected her kids to pick up after themselves, but they still had a relative life of luxury and almost anything they could want at their fingertips. It was a delicate balance of trying to keep JFK Jr. humble and modest while also wanting him to be happy and have fun.
Things changed when JFK Jr.'s dad was assassinated
John F. Kennedy Jr.'s life drastically changed when his father, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated in 1963. He, his mother Jackie, and his sister Caroline were always in the spotlight as the press followed their every move. Being a good mom became even more important to Jackie Kennedy, but a lot of responsibility, expectations, and dreams of the Kennedy dynasty shifted to JFK Jr.
From that point on, the president's son led a complicated life. As he got older, the attention on the prospering attorney never really diminished, and he likely felt pressured to live up to the family name. Steven M. Gillon, author of "The Reluctant Prince," has said that "John would have been president of the United States" had he not passed in a plane crash (via People). Reportedly, before his death, JFK Jr. considered running for governor, senator, or another executive office. Sadly, we never got to see Gillon's prediction play out.
Both of Jackie Kennedy's wishes for her son seemed to come true in the end. While he didn't have a normal existence per se, JFK Jr. did spend a fair amount of time doing his own thing despite his family's legacy, but he later decided he maybe wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and host those ceremonies he had watched from the bushes long ago.