First Freshman

The nation’s first daughter becomes Stanford freshman Chelsea Clinton today, and the White House is already suffering “empty nest” pangs. After this weekend, the 17-year-old will be pretty much on her own--as much as one can be with Secret Service agents hovering--as she begins premed studies on the Palo Alto campus.

By all accounts, the Clintons have done an exemplary job of raising their only child in the high-intensity atmosphere of the White House. They have guarded her privacy and set aside time to be an American family as well as the first family. They have prepared her as best they can for a more public life on her own.

Media members in Washington have exercised commendable respect for Chelsea’s privacy but surely will be more strongly drawn to the president’s daughter as she begins to build a life of her own 3,000 miles west of the White House. There will be intense interest in her first days of college. After all, there’s no denying she is the nation’s most famous kid. But the media owe it to Chelsea to give her room as she enters a difficult new period of her young life.

President Clinton was wistful about her departure. “But there’s nothing I can do about it now,” he said. “That’s what you raise them for.”

Indeed, that’s the lesson all parents learn. They do everything they can to protect their children and groom them for adulthood. Beyond that, they can offer mainly love and support, but it’s up to a youngster to fly on his or her own.

It appears that Chelsea Clinton has a strong set of wings and good flight training. We welcome her with the expectation that Californians and the rest of the world will soon be seeing her soar--from a respectful distance. Clinton, class of 2001.