William Jefferson Clinton's Psychologyenergy, they were certainly strong rivals. The effect of her attach-
ment to partying must also be considered in the context of the loss of
Clinton's father. Given that one effect of losing a parent at an earlier
age is a tendency to turn more forcefully to the remaining parent,
Mrs. Kelley needed to be all the more available to her son. Yet she
neglected him for her own pursuits.
Mrs. Kelley recalls that her son "never gave any overt indication
that he didn't approve of my gambling, or of our social drinking;
he just simply moved quietly in the other direction" (1994a, 138).
What she doesn't mention is that she apparently tried to reduce her
conflict between partying and mothering by bringing her son with
her on her nocturnal rounds. There were a number of local "night-
clubs[,} like the Vapors Supper Club, the Southern Club and the
Pines, [which] were among the most popular watering holes, and
Bill Clinton's mother, Virginia, made the rounds whenever possi-
ble, occasionally dragging her son Billy on the night's merriment" (Oak-
ley 1994, 27, 96, emphasis added; see also Sheehy 1992, 214). Mrs.
Kelley said she only took her son "to nightclubs to listen to jazz,
[but] he was offended by the smoke and the drinking" (Wills
1992, 63).
A similar conflict between her own pleasures and her responsibil-
ities was found in her professional life. Mrs. Kelley recalls that she
went to the track every day it was in session (1994a, 109). Both the
gambling and the scene attracted her. The problem was that, as a
nurse, she was frequently on call. As a solution to this problem, she
scheduled her cases in the mornings during racing season so she
could go to the track in the afternoons. This is assuredly a dramatic
reflection of the relative weight that Mrs. Kelley gave to her profes-
sion and her personal pleasure.
Mrs. Kelley's narcissism raises the question of her adoration for
her son: What portion stemmed from her own needs and how much
was a real appreciation of his accomplishments? The children of nar-
cissistic adults are often viewed by the parent as extensions of them-
selves, reflective of their own sterling qualities. In doing well, the
child reflects positively on the specialness of the parent. When Mrs.
Kelley notes, "I'm a shameless reveler in my son's careers and accom-
plishments," her words suggest something more than just pride
(1994a, 14).