What Happens When You Grow Up in the White House? Snakkle Looks at Former First Kids

Amy Carter, daughter of President Jimmy Carter, moved into the White House when she was 9 years old. The media landscape in the 1970s wasn't as vast as it is today, but experiencing your awkward tween years while the world is watching probably wasn't much fun. Still, according to this article from the Boca Raton News in 1976, Amy "got away with charging the press for lemonade and sandwiches" during her dad's presidential campaign. So maybe it wasn't all bad. Here is a famous/infamous clip from the 1980 presidential debate where Amy's dad gave his daughter a shout-out.

After spending some time participating in political protests after her dad left office, Amy currently enjoys a more private life than she once did. This photo is of Amy, her husband Jay Kelly, and their son Hugo backstage at a Willie Nelson and B.B. King concert. According to published reports, she rarely gives interviews or does public appearances.

Sisters Barbara and Jenna Bush were much older than Amy Carter when their father George W. Bush became President of the United States. Things started out a little rocky for the Bush twins—Jenna "begged her father not to run for president in 2000," according to Newsweek—but by 2004 they were right there in the thick of the campaign, delivering a speech at the Republican National Convention gently chiding their parents for being a bit out of touch with popular culture.

Now that dad is retired from politics, the twins are doing their own thing. Jenna got married in 2008 and is now Jenna Bush Hager; she has worked as a teacher, written children's books, and made appearances on the Today show. Jenna and her sister Barbara cofounded a nonprofit called Global Health Corps, a group that promotes ideas such as "Our generation must build a world in which everyone has access to comprehensive health care," according to their website. Barbara is listed as Global Health Corps' CEO.

Caroline Kennedy was just a little girl when her father John F. Kennedy was assassinated and became one of the most iconic figures in United States history. Because of JFK's special place in the hearts and minds of so many Americans, she has always lived in the public eye, as do most of the Kennedy clan. This picture shows Caroline and her equally iconic mother Jacqueline Kennedy enjoying a happy mother-daughter moment.

The grown-up Caroline has not shied away from politics, appearing at the 2008 Democratic National Convention after writing an op-ed piece in The New York Times strongly endorsing then-Senator Barack Obama for president. Caroline has written books, worked on numerous public projects, and appears to be living a rich and satisfying life. In 2013, President Obama announced Kennedy as his nominee to be the U.S. Ambassador to Japan.

Amy Carter had a tough time growing up in the White House, and so did Chelsea Clinton. Despite a presidential parental policy that the First Daughter was off-limits, that didn't stop some truly tasteless jokes from hitting the American airwaves. Rush Limbaugh took his shots, as did Saturday Night Live. And Chelsea didn't even get to charge reporters for lemonade!

Today Chelsea Clinton talks openly about her time as the First Daughter, showing sympathy with Sandra Fluke at a 92nd Street Y event, stating that both women have been "attacked by Rush Limbaugh." The now-all-grown-up former White House resident pointed out a key difference—"she [Fluke] was 30, I was 13." Sounds like those awkward teenage years are behind her in more ways than one.

The brothers Bush are seen here in 1983 with their father George Herbert Walker Bush. Back then, Bush Sr. was Ronald Reagan's vice president. H.W. would of course go on to defeat Michael Dukakis in the 1988 presidential election, an even bigger catch than the fish in this photo. Although that is a pretty big fish former President Bush is holding.

Plenty of fathers want their sons to go into the family business, even politicians. But George H.W. Bush is that rare proud pop whose little boy George W. Bush grew up to be President of the United States just like his old man. Jeb didn't do too bad either, serving two terms as governor of Florida.

Although older than other First Daughters on our list when their father was elected, sisters Julie Nixon and Tricia Nixon likely had a tough time in the White House, except in this case it was mostly their father's fault. Former President Richard Milhouse Nixon, known to Julie and Tricia as Dad, is the only U.S. president to resign. (The whole Watergate thing. You might've heard about it. If not, there's a really good movie with Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford.) That can't have been a fun discussion to have during family dinner. Julie rose to the occasion, however, publicly defending her father; in 1974, the late Nora Ephron wrote in New York magazine that in doing so, Julie had become "First Lady in practice if not in fact."

Much has happened in the lives of Nixon's daughters since their father was forced to leave office. The two have had serious differences of opinion about the Nixon Presidential Library, and the sisters were involved in a lawsuit over money bequeathed to the library by a Nixon supporter. Still, family is family. Both former First Daughters came together on the occasion of their late mother Pat Nixon's 100th birthday. Also on hand was actor and former Nixon speechwriter Ben Stein—yes, the same guy from Win Ben Stein's Money and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Here's a clip of his speech at the event. Also of interest: Julie Nixon supported Barack Obama for president in 2008.

Ah, yes. Patti Davis. The so-called "black sheep" of the Reagan children. Patti had, shall we say, a few disagreements with her parents, particularly her father's presidential policies. She even went so far as to change her last name. (Davis is former First Lady Nancy Reagan's maiden name.) Note to parents—if your child chooses to change their last name for reasons other than marriage, odds are they may be a bit annoyed with you.

Patti Davis did actually follow her father into the family business—acting, Ronald Reagan's pre-political profession. Fun fact: Patti appeared with her father in a commercial for Boraxo hand cleaner in the 1960s. Fun fact that her mom Nancy Reagan would probably prefer we forget: Patti posed for Playboy in the '90s. Time heals all wounds, though, and Patti is another of our former First Daughters to have reconciled with her family, in part to protect her beloved father's legacy. For example, in 2004, she and her mother publicly opposed President Bush's anti-stem-cell-research policies.

Ron Reagan, often referred to incorrectly as Ronald Reagan Jr., was widely mocked for being a ballet dancer. It was weird. Not that Ron was a dancer, but that this fact bothered people as much as it did. This video is supposedly of Ron Reagan dancing with the Joffrey II company; we can't say for certain because he is wearing a "duck-billed head." According to Ron, his father had no problem with him dropping out of Yale in order to join the Joffrey Ballet, contrary to popular belief. This is backed up by a White House diary entry dated Monday, May 18, 1981, in which President Reagan wrote about seeing his son perform at the Lisner Auditorium: "He was darn good. He has a grace that is remindful of Fred Astaire."

Ron left dancing and went into show business. His short-lived 1991 late-night talk show was brilliant; here is one of the few clips we could find, plus a review from Entertainment Weekly. More recently he hosted a show on the now defunct Air America Radio Network. Today, Ron Reagan is one of the most outspoken political commentators, and his politics are not what most members of the Republican party would like to hear. Here's a clip of Ron calling former Vice President Dick Cheney "an unindicted war criminal" for authorizing the torture of prisoners, something President Reagan was against. Ron has become very protective of his father's legacy, which he says has been distorted by many pundits and politicians.