Reply #50: How is the dad going to be able to take care of the kids? [View All]

[knitter4democracy]

VP candidates travel all over, get up early for TV interviews, and get no sleep. Their families often aren't let out of much of that. Her husband's going to be travelling all over, getting up early for interviews (especially because he's a man and therefore a novelty), and getting little sleep. The kids are going to be dragged all over, which the older ones might be able to handle better, but the baby shouldn't be. The best way to handle that would be to hire a nanny just for the baby, and that means neither parent's going to be seeing much of him. Considering he's got a condition that can mean many surgeries and medical scares and treatment issues and meetings with doctors, it's borderline neglect. Neither parent is going to be able to raise him right.

This isn't about her being a woman to me. I'd be pissed if it were her husband running instead, leaving her to deal with a special needs infant all by herself--plus the interviews, the travel, the speaking engagements, and more that the VP spouse has to deal with. They live in Alaska, which means that, if the husband and kids stay home, Mom's not going to be home much, since it takes so long to get there from anywhere, and time is of the essence at this point in the campaign.

I'm a SAHM, and my husband's a doctor. We had our kids when he was in med school and residency, and it was damn hard on me. While he was working 120 hours a week, I was trying to raise two babies pretty much by myself. At least he was able to come home, though. Palin won't be. She won't be there for the surgeries, she won't be there for the medical meetings, and she won't be there when he has trouble in the night. You know what? Her husband probably won't be, either. From what's coming out of Alaska, he's a shadow governor, getting e-mails and sitting in meetings he has no business being in. He's not going to be okay with being left behind with the kids.

The one I really feel sorry for is the baby. The youngest daughters are also at very important times in their lives and will need their parents, but at least they can feed themselves and most likely won't need surgery any time soon. That baby is at high risk of all sorts of problems, and I think it's unconscionable that either parent would do this to him.