10 years later, Palin details struggle of raising a family while vying for the White House

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says she was very upset over the way her vice presidential team handled her then-teenage daughter's pregnancy during the run-up to the 2008 election.

"I read it on a chyron on a hotel television," Palin revealed in an interview with DailyMailTV. "I'm like: 'Aw man.' I was so disappointed that they announced it the way they did."

The first female Republican on a presidential ticket, the mother of five lamented most of the initial reaction, arguing that a lot of people "acted like she was the first knocked up teenager in the entire country."

Dealing with personal problems, while balancing out other work and aspirations, hasn't gone away either. Just like how she was forced to deal with the public and media's conjecturing, even criticism, of her daughter's life, Palin more recently has had to deal with her son Track, both internally and externally.

The eldest child, Track has a history of abusing narcotics and alcohol. He also has gotten in trouble with the law on multiple occasions, one of which was for allegedly assaulting his pregnant girlfriend -- showing an incapacity to deal with life following a military tour in Iraq.

Palin during her political ascent was also raising her son Trig, the youngest of five who was born with Down Syndrome. She describes to DailyMailTV how it was a scary moment when she found out about Trig's condition well before he was born.

"I ... didn't know what to expect, didn't [know] how wonderful it was going to be," she recalls, adding that it still can be a difficult situation at times.

"It's the practical things, like brushing teeth and feeding and going to the bathroom," Palin continued. "If I hear a parent gripe about their two-year-old — 'Uhh he wouldn't let me brush his teeth today!' — I'm just like 'Man, appreciate that you have it relatively easy.'"

Roughly 10 years later, Sarah's husband Todd says that Trig essentially runs the household at this point.

"The most challenging thing is trying not to look too far into the future and being scared of what perhaps Trig would face," said Sarah. "I'm just so thankful that he's got the big extended family with his big brother and big sisters. He's always gonna be taken care of."

But life wasn't always so comfortable for Palin, especially around a decade ago as her and her now-deceased running mate former Republican Sen. John McCain tried to reach the political apex.

"Trig was a 16-week-old baby at the time," Sarah said of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn. in 2008. "Bristol in high school, teenage and pregnant. We were just a microcosm of America. We were up there on stage and I just thought 'Oh manwho'da thunk?' Anything is possible in America and wow, God blesses us."

Palin says her family has come a long way since. Track, now 29, is studying in college, according to DailyMailTV. Todd blames the Army for not caring enough for his son when he got back from duty, asserting that military basically just gave him money, pills, and not much else.

"If you think about it, who is orchestrating the whole transition process?" Sarah asked. "It's people in the military who have never transitioned their career."

Bristol is set to appear on the new season of 'Teen Mom OG,' which follows the lives of those who are managing young motherhood. Her mother is expected to occasionally feature on the show.

As for the parents of the family, Sarah and Todd, married for 30 years, remain happy at home in Alaska with only Trig left in the proverbial nest.

"It's easy to hide in Alaska," the former vice presidential candidate said. "You just put on more layers."