Sometimes they make wrong choices in their allocation of time, and oftentimes the challenges of the moment outpace their resources or their experience. But real parents, we somehow know, exercise a consistent preference for what is best and most helpful for their children in a given circumstance over what is most convenient or feels the most comfortable for themselves. Real parents seek the best for their kids. Vicki Legg was sleeping when she was awakened by the strident ring of the phone at three o'clock one morning. I fought panic as I hurried to answer, she recalls.
Nothing is more frightening to a mother whose children are away from home.
My first impulse was to hang up. But the note of sheer hopelessness in his voice told me this was not a prank call. He was not. The young man was a salesman from out of state whose business had brought him to our small rural community. After spending the evening in a bar, he had returned to his motel room to continue drinking alone.