Susan Ford lived in the White House with her parents, Gerald and Betty Ford. She once commented: "It’s not a whole lot of fun to be written about in the press every time you make a move. . . . I remember my mother saying, ‘The children were not elected to this office. Leave them alone.’" What do you think of Mrs. Ford’s response? Do you think first kids have the same rights to privacy as any other child their age? When a person is elected to serve the public — a president, senator, governor, mayor — they are expected to be available to the public, to answer questions about their job. But they also have a right to have a private life, away from the public, when they can enjoy their family and friends. It’s sometimes difficult to know when work ends and play begins.



Susan Ford washes her car outside the White House, June 1976 - Gerald R. Ford Library

How would you react if you saw newspaper articles with pictures of you and your family on vacation? Or entering school, church, or a restaurant? Do American citizens have a right to know about the details of the first family’s life? Pretend you are the president. Make a list of rules you would write for reporters — do’s and don’ts — for covering the first family in the press. Then make the same list as if you were the owner of a major newspaper. Compare the two lists.