When A Public Parent Blows it ... Publicly

It's hard enough to be dragged into the limelight because your parents are famous. But what happens when your Mom or Dad makes a huge mistake and has to confess it publicly? Parental penitence is another thing that Chelsea Clinton and the McCain kids have in common.

Chelsea's Dad's secret relationship with a White House intern made international headlines for months and months. And when Meghan was 10, Jack 8, Jimmy 6, and Bridget 3, their Mom admitted to the world that she'd been addicted to painkillers when Jimmy was a year old, after two back surgeries for ruptured discs, and that she'd stolen drugs from a charity she founded, the American Voluntary Medical Team.

Fast forward to 2008. Chelsea's parents are still married, and I can see the forgiveness in their family. Can't you? Cindy McCain talks freely about addiction, healing, and grace, and her children adore her. Both Bill Clinton and Cindy McCain have a shot at First Spousedom, which tells me that America's a country of second chances. And also that kids make fantastic forgivers when parents admit they blew it and face the consequences with courage.

Photo Source: Daniella Zalcman via Creative Commons.