Being the child of Maine’s chief executive provides unusual opportunities, but it’s not as glamorous as it may seem, say the young people whose fathers are competing to recapture the governorship for the next four years. “What my dad has done I think is good. I’m very proud of it, but I’m in no way responsible,” said Joseph Edward Brennan, the 21-year-old oldest child of Democratic nominee Joseph E. Brennan, who served as governor from 1979 to 1987 and now is southern Maine’s congressman.

“It’s important to establish your own identity apart from your dad,” said the younger Brennan, known to all as “J.B.,” a nickname his mother gave him as a child to distinguish between father and son.

Peter Alexander McKernan, the only child of first-term Republican Gov. John R. McKernan, who swapped jobs with Brennan in 1987 and is seeking re-election this year, said it’s been “neat to compare lifestyles” with other gubernatorial progeny when they meet at national gatherings.

“A lot of kids carry out the title to different extents,” Peter, 19, said in a recent interview.

“I’ve gotten to meet a lot of politicians … when I think about it, it’s a pretty neat opportunity to meet the president of the United States — more than once,” he added.

J.B.’s younger sister, Tara Elizabeth Brennan, said life as a governor’s daughter has “exposed me to more things. I’ve gotten to meet interesting people and go interesting places. I’ve had more opportunities in that way, but that’s about the only difference,” she said in a separate interview.

None of the three gubernatorial offspring is directly involved in political clubs or campaigning at school, but all volunteer time to help out at their fathers’ campaign offices in addition to regular summer jobs.

J.B. works as a life guard at Old Orchard Beach — a job he has held for five summers. Tara does secretarial work this summer at Peoples Heritage Bank in Portland. And Peter is spending his second consecutive summer as a counselor at a sports camp in Readfield.

All three said they better understand — as adults — what is at stake in the November election. They said their fathers are very busy campaigning and that, as the summer heat intensifies, so will the competition.

“When you compare what it will be like, it’s not intense at all. I find it interesting,” said Peter. The race “is a little closer than we’d like it to be,” he added. “But we will be victorious.”

J.B. predicted a “close” race, too, “but I think my dad’s going to win. I think, basically, he’s the person who’s better qualified for the job.”

Through the years, the elder Brennan and McKernan have appeared together at many political functions, but Tara, J.B. and Peter have had only one occasion to exchange greetings. By happenstance, the trio met five years ago at a Boston Celtics game on Maine Day, said J.B., adding with a smile that Peter “seemed like a nice guy.”

All three young people attend private, liberal arts schools in northern New England.

J.B. is a senior majoring in government at Colby College in Waterville. He holds open the possibility of following his father into political life, but not right away.

“I think it’s good to bring a series of varied experiences to that kind of a job. That’s the kind of job where you have to be able to relate to people. I think by doing a lot of different professions … you are more accessible and easily related to by the people you’re representing,” said the 6-foot-tall, J.B.

Tara, 18, who will be a sophomore at Bates College in Lewiston, said she has not yet declared a major but that, for now, she will continue taking Japanese and economics courses.

Peter, a sophomore at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., attends the alma mater of his father, grandfather and uncle. He said Dartmouth requires a student to declare a major by spring of the sophomore year, and that he will probably choose government or history.

Peter said he wants to stay in Maine and that he probably will choose a career in public service. “I’d like to deal with people.”

All three of the gubernatorial offspring have spent time living at the Blaine House, the sprawling white mansion across the street from the State House that has been the official residence of Maine’s governors since 1921.

“It was neat because there was always a lot of people around during the day and they’re a great bunch of people,” said Peter, who returned to Augusta after graduating in 1988 from St. Marks prep school in Southboro, Mass., to attend Kents Hill School in Readfield for a year.

“It was semi-local and I got a chance to live in the governor’s mansion, which is something only 50 families get to do in this country. It was a good opportunity, and I got to spend some time with my father,” said Peter, whose mother recently remarried and moved from New Hampshire to Waterville. His father remarried early last year, when he exchanged vows with Maine congresswoman, Olympia J. Snowe.

“It’s a big house. It’s sort of odd. You have tours coming through a lot and you can hear them downstairs sometimes,” Peter added, describing his upstairs room at the mansion as “not much different than you’d imagine — posters all over the wall, messy, clothes everywhere.”

The Brennan children lived in the Blaine House during summers and school vacations from 1979 until their father left office in 1987. Their time was split between Maine and New Jersey, where their mother lives.

“I remember when we moved into the Blaine House, I was something like 8 years old, I remember thinking it was a big haunted house,” said J.B. “But after 20 minutes there, I felt at home because of the people who worked there.”

He recalled how one afternoon, just before football tryouts for a high school he attended in New Jersey, he and his father passed a football with some state troopers who served as the elder Brennan’s bodyguards.

“It was pretty funny seeing all those guys out there with ties on throwing the football,” said J.B., who also swam on his high school team.

Tara said dividing their time between the two states gave her and her brother a chance to get to know each other better.

“Traveling between Maine and New Jersey made us close because we were together a lot,” said the Tara, who has greenish-blue eyes.

Living out of state also provided anonymity, all three agreed.

“It was good to go to high school out of state because it enabled me and my sister to establish our own identities independent from people knowing us as a Brennan,” J.B. said.

At school, said the college rugby player, “they understand that I’m just taking the class, I’m just an average freshman, or senior now. They’re pretty respectful about it.”

Peter, who plays junior varsity baseball at Dartmouth, said the “majority of the time they recognize the name, but they don’t necessarily react to it outwardly. A lot of people do, a lot of people don’t, which is interesting.”