Sarah Palin, Republican Senator John McCain's vice presidential running mate, needs a reality check.
Seriously, forget that Mrs. Palin, the governor of Alaska, is inexperienced in foreign policy, a gun-toting pro-lifer, or an ex-beauty queen. She is the 44-year-old mother of five children, with the youngest — a four-month-old — born with Down syndrome, a serious genetic disorder that will demand time for early intervention if there is any hope that this child will participate in life as fully as possible.
I wish Mrs. Palin the best. But as a mother of a child diagnosed with autism, another serious disorder, I question her ability to deliver as the second in command of this nation and in her most critical role, as a mother.
How will she possibly manage?
I couldn't during the early days of my son's diagnosis. Granted, I didn't have months to prepare for the profound impact of knowing that my child had a disability. He was two when the results of an evaluation pronounced him autistic. Through a prenatal test, Mrs. Palin knew months in advance, which gave her and her family time to research the disability and interventions and adjust to accepting a child who would not be "normal." But whether the diagnosis comes like a bolt from the blue or from a blood test, the way you learn about your child's disability doesn't abate the immense financial and personal commitment and emotional toll it takes to raise a child, any child, with special needs.
I don't know whether to applaud Mrs. Palin with a "go for it" rally cry or ask, "What were you thinking?" More precisely, what were you, John McCain, thinking when you placed Mrs. Palin on the short list and then asked a mother of an infant with special needs to lead, at your side, the greatest country in the world. Did you explore the huge demands raising this child will take? Or do you place her in the company of other elected officials, namely Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington state and Pete Sessions of Texas, raising children with Down syndrome, and that it's no big deal?
Well, it is a big deal. Serving in Congress is not the same as serving under the president in the No. 2 spot. Where will Mrs. Palin be if there is a call to war or a call from the doctor's office saying open heart surgery is necessary — now? Almost half of babies with Down syndrome have heart defects, according to the March of Dimes. While the needs of Trig, her Down Syndrome son, are not fully known, surely he will be a candidate for some type of therapy, such as speech, occupational and/or physical therapy. Down syndrome occurs in about 1 out of every 800 births, the result of an extra chromosome, and is associated with mental retardation, language delay and numerous health problems.
During the routine course of Trig's life, who will be taking him to his therapeutic and medical appointments should the ticket of McCain-Palin win in November's general election? Vice President Palin, a family member, friend or volunteer, of which I'm sure there will be many, or Todd, her husband? My child's treatment required up to 35 hours per week, constant research into current therapies, one-on-one work with him, extra time with his older brother and extraordinary vigilance to monitor his progress. I would find it a Herculean effort to keep in touch with the needs of my special needs child if I were seated in the West Wing rather than in the waiting room of a speech therapist.
On some level, I understand Mrs. Palin's decision to say "yes" to Senator McCain. How could she turn down a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — to possibly serve as America's vice president, which will give her the grist to possibly run for president on her own. I, too, would be swept into the mania. But after having raised a child with profound handicaps and abandoning, not expanding, my career for four solid years to do so, I hope that my cooler head would prevail.
My wish is that women like Mrs. Palin can reach for the stars and grab the universe beyond. That no woman has to limit herself in the face of adversity or what others perceive as insurmountable odds. But that doesn't change the reality that Mrs. Palin has accepted two responsibilities, each of which take time and energy far beyond the normal bounds.
