Sunday, September 02, 2007  You Don't Get to Say I'm a Terrible
Mother  Even Van Gogh knew---as these gorgeous paintings of
Mother Roulin with Her Baby show---that sometimes it's about
what's best for the whole family, which involves compromise, and
sometimes it's about what's best for the kids. Note the way the
mother and baby share prominence in the first portrait and the
way the mother fades in the second.  In my title, I am quoting
Elizabeth Edwards, wife of presidential candidate John Edwards,
in her reply to Rebecca Eisenberg's harsh criticism (now edited
to reveal a change of mind/heart) of taking their kids on the
campaign trail. (You can find some of the original invective
quoted on Time Swampland writer Karen Tumulty's blog.)  This all
came from a New York Times article that described---to my way of
thinking and personal experience---what sounds pretty normal,
for most parents and kids, but particularly ones in
extraordinary circumstances like a parent running for President
of the United States. The