Bristol Palin and Mama have done it again, just when we thought they had both turned a new chapter in life it turns out it was all just a rehearsal for more of the same. The Bristol-Levi show has always been a minor sideshow in the drama that is the Palin family, but it threatens to overshadow the main event as Mama prepares to refine her political campaign from looks and attitude to—well, more of the same. It feels as though we’re sitting here, two years later, watching a rerun of a pilot series that didn’t quite make it through the fall season.

Two years later and Bristol was back with Levi, if only for a short time, this time insisting that he get his high school diploma and not rely on a career posing for Playgirl. Sarah was also back, collecting political chits through endorsements and fundraising, this time without the powder-puff hairdo—and this we can only hope—without the winks.

How do we end up in a rut and keep repeating the same mistakes? Bristol and Sarah aren’t the only ones—we’ve all been there. Sometimes it’s very hard to leave the past behind so we fall back onto behaviors that we’re comfortable with, even though they haven’t served us well. Better the devil you know than the one you don’t . . .

The psychological baggage we carry through life is sticky stuff that won’t rub off without a lot of work. Experts will tell you that no one gets out of the playground without a few psychological scars and they can add up over time. After awhile, we get used to carrying around the extra weight and may even cease to be aware of it.

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