Is Something Wrong With Me?

I’m a mother of small children, a wife, a homemaker (of sorts), a college instructor (1 class), a regular community volunteer—and as all of these things, I find myself harried, overscheduled, and struggling to keep on top of everything. And now that Sarah Palin is on scene, well, I feel like a failure. Here’s a woman with five children- one going to Iraq, one about to get married and expecting a child, one a 5-month old special needs child (none of my children slept through the night at this age) and on top of all of this, she’s running for vice-president, has served as governor of her state, and been the mayor of Wasilla. Plus, somehow she finds the time to run every day, eat healthy, twist a fancy updo, and put on lipstick. Someone please, please tell me how she does it all? Even if her husband stays home, how do they do it? For the most part I stay home, but still there’s no way my husband would have the time to do all she’s doing. When I complained today to my celestial sex partner about not helping around the house more, he jokingly held up the recent Time Magazine with Palin’s photo on the cover and ran through the scenario I’ve just written. Is Sarah Palin the new standard at which women will be expected to perform? As if mothers weren’t already overworked and beating ourselves up over the illusion that we can have it all at once.