Elvis ‘Tried to Convince Himself’ He Found Lisa Marie’s Toddler Antics Adorable
When Lisa Marie Presley was born, Elvis Presley nervously embraced fatherhood. While he loved his daughter, he had a hard time accepting his role as a husband and father. He was often away and expected Priscilla Presley to shoulder the responsibility of raising Lisa Marie. Priscilla explained that while Elvis tried his best, there were certain aspects of raising a toddler that he found challenging.
Elvis struggled to find some of Lisa Marie Presley’s behavior cute
Not long after Lisa Marie’s birth, Elvis experienced a career revival. This kept him away from home for long stretches of time. When his shows and residencies ended, though, he often lingered in cities away from home.
“He wanted freedom to come and go as he pleased — and he did,” Priscilla wrote in her book Elvis and Me. “When he was home, he was attentive and loving as a father and husband. But it was clearly understood that I was mainly responsible for the parenting of Lisa.”
Because of this, Elvis wasn’t always present for some of the, frankly, grosser parts of raising a toddler. While he tried to appreciate everything his young daughter did, there were certain things he couldn’t handle.
“[Lisa] would sit between Elvis and me at the dinner table, squeezing spinach through her hands and smearing it on her face,” Priscilla wrote. “Elvis tried to convince himself that he found all this adorable, but the fact of the matter was that he was finicky about his food. With a good-natured laugh, he would excuse himself, telling the maid, ‘We’ll be eating in the den. Lisa will join us after she’s finished playing with her meal.’”
Priscilla Presley shared why she felt torn between Elvis and Lisa Marie
In the middle of a family portrait session, Priscilla realized that she hadn’t been spending enough time with her daughter. Lisa Marie cried for her nurse the entire time. Priscilla realized she was more attached to her than her parents.
“She had been affected by my own predicament,” Priscilla wrote. “Busy centering my life around Elvis, even during his absences, I had neglected not only my needs but my daughter’s as well.”
Priscilla explained that Elvis’ time at home was so infrequent that she wanted to dedicate all her time to him when he was around. She realized that this was not fair to Lisa Marie, though.
“I was torn between the two of them,” Priscilla wrote. “When he was home I wanted to be with him, without other responsibilities, but I also wanted to be with Lisa, knowing how much she needed me.”
Priscilla tried to capture moments of their daughter growing up
During Elvis’ time away from home, Priscilla tried her best to capture moments of Lisa Marie growing up.
“When Elvis was away from home, which unfortunately was most of the time in those days, I continued to dispatch my regular care packages full of pictures and home movies documenting every inch of Lisa’s growth,” she wrote. “When he was with us, I encouraged him to participate in Easter-egg hunts and other outings, inviting Joe [Esposito], Joanie, their children, and other family friends to join us.”
Priscilla also often took Lisa Marie to Las Vegas, where Elvis played residencies, for her birthdays.
