Delusions of... Having It All

One of my classes was cancelled today; not because of the weather (I think it would take something close to the apocalypse for Columbia to cancel class) but because my professor had to take her daughter to the doctor. Now, in and of itself there is nothing super-strange about this - parents have to take care of their kids - but it's funny because this particular professor told us pretty recently that her job is one of the best jobs for a woman because it does allow her time for her family (and is intellectually stimulating and interesting, balah, blah, blah). Except that here she was cancelling class and depriving her dear students of an intriguing discussion on Marx and Engel.

And then the question becomes for me: can a woman really have it all? I want to be a lawyer and I want to work even when I have kids and I am constantly being told that it's not possible, that sooner or later I'm going to have to choose between a family and a career. Is that true? Am I not going to be able to have both. Now, as my blog-header would suggest, I do know that it is at least semi-delusional to believe I can have everything, and I do rationally know that family is a bigger priority for me than a career. But part of me wants to scream like a two-year-old, "I want it all! I can have it all, I know I can!" But a little voice has been lingering since I got my professor's e-mail this morning, asking "Can you really?"