Parenting has never been easy. Adam and Eve, the first parents, had a rough start. Their younger son Cain killed his older brother Abel.

I suspect many families have someone who is the de facto historian/archivist and best source for information about their extended family — the second cousins, the deceased aunts and uncles, et al. He or she knows not only the trunk and limbs of the family tree, but also the branches and twigs.

I would describe my politics as chameleon. I grew up parented by New Deal Democrats, then became an anti-Vietnam War zealot, for reasons of policy but mainly cowardice. 

When I ran for the District 97 School Board in 1987, the campaign's hottest issue was a debate over equity versus excellence.