JFK Jr. Hid In Bushes With The Secret Service To Watch White House Events As A Kid

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.