Lovely story.
Ellen certainly did wrong. There are things that you never should say. However, sometimes they are even in the language, like what is "a real parent" and you must define them anew.
Earlier in the story, I couldn't help feeling sorry for Ellen, though, when Clark compared her with Martha: it must be very hard to Ellen to know that even if she tried her best, she could never be as good with children as Martha is - it's a natural gift.
And I wonder, if Clark idealizes Martha a little bit - *nobody* is that perfect. There is no mother who didn't sometimes cause a disappointment on her child, simply because she is a human being.
Clark did wonderful job dealng with Samantha's diappointment, though.
