"I stand here ironing" question #3

In Tillie Olson's "I stand here ironing" the narrator is overcome with guilt for past actions and omitions. The narrator believes that in a certain sense she has neglected to be a vital part of her child Emily's upbringing by not being there when Emily pleaded for her to be {"Can't you go some other time, Mommy, like tomorrow?" she would ask. "Will it be just a little while you'll be gone? Do you promise?"(20)}
To me, the narrator is haunted by a past over which she had little or no control. After all, who is to say which is more important, to feed your child or to kiss them goodnight? While some of the choices made may not always turn out right, the narrator did not appear to want to neglect her child. When the ball is thrown we do not always connect when we swing at it.
All in all, I think the narrator did what she could and thought was right for her baby girl. One must remember that this story is set during the Great Depression when choices for one's children where limited at best and jobs and food were not available in the abundance of this generation.