Has anyone ever read the play "A Doll's House" by Henrik Ibsen? Its my very favorite... it is about a woman who is married and has kids, and she makes a mistake when her husband's life is in danger in order to save him. He treats her like a child, and their kids have a nanny. Long story short, she makes a decision in the end to make herself better (or to live her life for her) and she rationalizes it as being for the best for everyone involved.
My point is, sometimes by living one's life for themselves, they are making the best decisions possible for their children as well. Sometimes as a mom I find I need a break... a night to myself so I can deflate and relax so that I'm not taking any stress out on my daughter. Me time is essential to good parenting. There is a point where that is taken to an extreme, though. By making the choice to have a child, I made my choice to live my life in order to do the best thing for my child. Sometimes that requires asking my parents to babysit for a night, other times it means I go without a new outfit so that she can have her new outfit or diapers or lotion. There is a balance... kids come first, but parents have a place in the line as well. I hope this makes sense.