Median

What would it be like if we all could be this honest with ourselves? The revelation is as foreign as openly admitting to a banking officer that we harbor no intention of repaying a debt and yet still expecting to receive the loan.

We never heard Ward Cleaver say to a sniveling Beaver, "Son, I'll never be a great or even good dad. I'll just be mediocre." Such a pronouncement would have ended the whole series. Parents are hardwired to do more and better and, if you can't, certainly don't tell anyone, much less complete strangers.

And so we wonder whether this mother possesses a strong dose of apathy or some stroke of genius. To be sure, owning your station as an average parent might free you from crushing levels of expectation.