In 1794, John Adams even chastised his teenaged son for possibly not becoming president of the United States: You have not informed me whether the Houses are brick, stone or wood, whether they are seven stories high or one…You have said nothing about the religion of the country whether it is Catholic or protestant. When 14-year-old John Quincy was in Petersburg, Russia, working as secretary for diplomat Francis Dana, Adams criticized his letter writing: He demanded they translate Thucydides at age 10 and sent them to foreign cities as preteens to work under fellow diplomats. John Adams was obsessed with instilling greatness in his sons John Quincy, Charles and Thomas. “John said to John Quincy, ‘Unless you’re president you’re a failure,” Kendall said in an interview with the New England Historical Society. The Adamses were ridiculously strict, with sometimes tragic results. Arthur indulged his children, and his son Alan became a polo-playing playboy. Franklin Pierce and Calvin Coolidge, for example, were grief-stricken by the loss of their sons. Kendall presents psychological profiles of every president as a parent in his recent book First Dads: Parenting and Politics from George Washington to Barack Obama. John Adams and John Quincy Adams may be tied for the honor of worst presidential father, or ‘Tiger Dad,’ according to Joshua Kendall.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |