Among children's counselors, there is a saying: As it goes for the mother, so it goes for the child. This is neither the exclusionary nor blame-based statement literalists might take it for. Instead, it is a broad statement of general fact that little ones tend to be as healthy as their primary caregiver. Sadly, in the autumn of 2000, Hope Edelman and her firstborn were anything but healthy.

At the same time, there really wasn't anything at all demonstrably wrong with them.