Mother photo effects

In an era where motherhood is becoming so politicized, with questions roiling about having a career versus staying at home, breast-feeding versus the bottle -- even dinner-time choices are scrutinized -- we decided to ask Iowans to do something simple for Mother's Day:

We asked you to tell us about your mother's generosity.

The emails and Facebook posts that rolled in told stories of mothers who gave tremendously of themselves for their children. In one case, a letter-writer said he had to stop, as the tears had started to flow.