Anonymous
Post 02/17/2026 13:39     Subject: Was Jackie Kennedy a good mother?
She did the best she could under extreme extraordinary circumstances. She probably had lifelong PTSD. I think she was very protective of her children which they needed, being public figures since birth. They had a close relationship with her and that seemed genuine. She was also a snob and wanted lots of money; many accounts of her life talk about this. Though private, she lived a glamorous life and liked the finer things. She wasn't a saint but by most accounts she made mothering a priority.
Anonymous
Post 02/17/2026 13:21     Subject: Re:Was Jackie Kennedy a good mother?
She was a mother of her time and her social economic status. We have to be careful not to measure historical figures off of societal norms we have today.
Anonymous
Post 02/17/2026 13:17     Subject: Re:Was Jackie Kennedy a good mother?
Yes, she was a good mother. Not perfect, but certainly thoughtful and loving in how she raised them. Of course she raised them with the help of nannies and household staff, which was how she was raised and how everyone in their social circle was raised. But she was a single mother in an extraordinary situation, and she made wise choices that helped them navigate the worst pitfalls of fame and fortune. Both her children seemed to love and respect her, and both grew up to be responsible, polite, engaged citizens.
Anonymous
Post 02/17/2026 12:54     Subject: Was Jackie Kennedy a good mother?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Her portrayal in the Hulu tv show makes her out to be status obsessed who is pushing her kids to live up to their father’s enormous legacy. Do we know anything about her as a mom?



I think her biographers concur that it's true but also that she worked very hard to protect their privacy and allow some normality despite the frenzy surrounding them. She also insisted on the importance of education and of good manners, which is great. So yes she was of a certain class and snobbish about it, but overall I think she loved and protected her kids, and also was a lovely, doting grandmother.


All of this. Plus her kids seem to have really loved her, which usually correlates to good mothering. Except for the inability to nip John's recklessness in the bud, they had both turned out well.


I’ve read that narcissistic men often love their mothers above all other women, and to me John seemed more than a little narcissistic. So to the degree that raising a narcissist does not constitute good mothering, Jackie might fail on that score.



Hard to imagine a kid not turning out narcissistic when anointed as the prince from childhood, then with every available woman slobbering over him from adolescence. Also my impression was that she doted on him more than Caroline, which often happens with narcissistic mothers unhappy their daughter didn't turn out in their perfect patrician image. John took after her side, Caroline the tomboyish Kennedys.
Anonymous
Post 02/17/2026 12:45     Subject: Was Jackie Kennedy a good mother?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Her portrayal in the Hulu tv show makes her out to be status obsessed who is pushing her kids to live up to their father’s enormous legacy. Do we know anything about her as a mom?



I think her biographers concur that it's true but also that she worked very hard to protect their privacy and allow some normality despite the frenzy surrounding them. She also insisted on the importance of education and of good manners, which is great. So yes she was of a certain class and snobbish about it, but overall I think she loved and protected her kids, and also was a lovely, doting grandmother.


All of this. Plus her kids seem to have really loved her, which usually correlates to good mothering. Except for the inability to nip John's recklessness in the bud, they had both turned out well.


I’ve read that narcissistic men often love their mothers above all other women, and to me John seemed more than a little narcissistic. So to the degree that raising a narcissist does not constitute good mothering, Jackie might fail on that score.
Anonymous
Post 02/17/2026 11:43     Subject: Was Jackie Kennedy a good mother?
Anonymous wrote:I think she was the product of her environment and her own upbringing in that she herself had an aloof and hyper socially conscious mother who impressed upon her "the man is the plan" and marrying the best possible, richest man was her goal in life.


True, but she didn't hold her kids to that standard. Ed Schlossberg is not the man she would have picked for her daughter, but she accepted it understanding they loved each other. Carolyn also didn't have a preferred pedigree, but I'd like to think Jackie would have accepted that relationship too.
Anonymous
Post 02/17/2026 11:39     Subject: Was Jackie Kennedy a good mother?
I think she was the product of her environment and her own upbringing in that she herself had an aloof and hyper socially conscious mother who impressed upon her "the man is the plan" and marrying the best possible, richest man was her goal in life.
Anonymous
Post 02/17/2026 11:38     Subject: Re:Was Jackie Kennedy a good mother?
I think she was a good mother by the standards of the time.

By today's standards, my own mother was not a good mother, but she loved us and did het best anf we loved her.

End of story
Anonymous
Post 02/17/2026 11:34     Subject: Re:Was Jackie Kennedy a good mother?
Anonymous wrote:I do not think she was an outstanding Mother.

Case in point, when they were remodeling the children’s bedrooms in the White House both Caroline ➕ John John were staying w/relatives……Jackie had suggested that the children not come home until their bedrooms were completely finished which was still another few wks away.

A good Mother would have missed her kids & would have wanted them home no matter what.

Plus after Jackie gave birth to John via C-section, after she arrived home she had hired Nannies + nursemaids care for him so she could sleep a lot in order to recover……


You assume she did not visit the children while they were away. Do you know that she didn't?

Also, gross thought process to think that only "outstanding mothers" power through post-c-section without help. Many outstanding mothers with the means to do so do just that. And good for her. Ladies, caring for yourself IS also caring for your children and family.
Anonymous
Post 02/17/2026 11:31     Subject: Was Jackie Kennedy a good mother?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Her portrayal in the Hulu tv show makes her out to be status obsessed who is pushing her kids to live up to their father’s enormous legacy. Do we know anything about her as a mom?



I think her biographers concur that it's true but also that she worked very hard to protect their privacy and allow some normality despite the frenzy surrounding them. She also insisted on the importance of education and of good manners, which is great. So yes she was of a certain class and snobbish about it, but overall I think she loved and protected her kids, and also was a lovely, doting grandmother.


All of this. Plus her kids seem to have really loved her, which usually correlates to good mothering. Except for the inability to nip John's recklessness in the bud, they had both turned out well.
Anonymous
Post 02/17/2026 11:30     Subject: Was Jackie Kennedy a good mother?
Postpartum self-care = bad parent???

If I had the money, I’d have done that.

More/good sleep enables good parenting.
Anonymous
Post 02/17/2026 11:22     Subject: Re:Was Jackie Kennedy a good mother?
Anonymous wrote:I do not think she was an outstanding Mother.

Case in point, when they were remodeling the children’s bedrooms in the White House both Caroline ➕ John John were staying w/relatives……Jackie had suggested that the children not come home until their bedrooms were completely finished which was still another few wks away.

A good Mother would have missed her kids & would have wanted them home no matter what.

Plus after Jackie gave birth to John via C-section, after she arrived home she had hired Nannies + nursemaids care for him so she could sleep a lot in order to recover……


Standard rich person behavior of that generation.
Anonymous
Post 02/17/2026 11:08     Subject: Re:Was Jackie Kennedy a good mother?
I do not think she was an outstanding Mother.

Case in point, when they were remodeling the children’s bedrooms in the White House both Caroline ➕ John John were staying w/relatives……Jackie had suggested that the children not come home until their bedrooms were completely finished which was still another few wks away.

A good Mother would have missed her kids & would have wanted them home no matter what.

Plus after Jackie gave birth to John via C-section, after she arrived home she had hired Nannies + nursemaids care for him so she could sleep a lot in order to recover……
Anonymous
Post 02/17/2026 11:06     Subject: Was Jackie Kennedy a good mother?
Anonymous wrote:Her portrayal in the Hulu tv show makes her out to be status obsessed who is pushing her kids to live up to their father’s enormous legacy. Do we know anything about her as a mom?



I think her biographers concur that it's true but also that she worked very hard to protect their privacy and allow some normality despite the frenzy surrounding them. She also insisted on the importance of education and of good manners, which is great. So yes she was of a certain class and snobbish about it, but overall I think she loved and protected her kids, and also was a lovely, doting grandmother.
Anonymous
Post 02/17/2026 10:45     Subject: Was Jackie Kennedy a good mother?
Her portrayal in the Hulu tv show makes her out to be status obsessed who is pushing her kids to live up to their father’s enormous legacy. Do we know anything about her as a mom?