I told him he would score major points with me if he did the interview with the baby on his lap, which he did. My mother dispatched herself from New Jersey to stay home with the children when the protests were supposed to get worse, so I could perform my job without worrying about their safety. At work I made a preemptive strike on the rumor mill by announcing to our political staff meeting that I was happy to announce my husband had been released from jail. I was starting to see the humor, too. Inklings of pride found their way into my heart.
Civil disobedience is a grand American tradition.
But so is getting home to have dinner with your family. And though I am loath to admit it, his actions are, in some way, a demonstration of his fitness as a parent. When our daughters learn the names of the people we honor for their willingness to break the law for their beliefs, one of them will be their father's. Lisa Guide is the deputy assistant secretary for policy and international affairs at the U.S. Department of the Interior. She has two children.