I love meeting other parents who are also in school because they understand wholeheartedly the day to day of parenthood. Having to wake up at 5:30am daily to get you and your child ready for school, waking up at 6:00 am on weekends, picking up from afterschool, having your kids ask you 8,648,874 questions while your working on a paper and studying for a midterm or final, taking your child to the emergency room on the exact day that your project is due because, of course, these are the things that happen as a parent that you have absolutely no control over. Not to mention the other personal responsibilities we need to handle for ourselves.
It's very difficult juggling school full time, work and being a mother. Everything requires an equal amount of attention but it doesn’t always work out that way. If your child is sick when your paper or project is due or on the day of your midterm or final, it’s hard to give school or a project your full attention when your baby needs you. Even studying for exams or writing simple articles or papers for class are difficult at times. Every night I stay up studying and doing homework after I put my daughter to bed; or wake up at 2 and 3 am to study for an exam when I am too tired to stay awake the night before. There are days where I absolutely DO NOT want to wake up that early but know that I have to it because it’s the only time I have available.
Being away since 2007, I wasn't even sure if I could return to college. So much self-doubt came over me. I am a 28-year-old mother who has decided to go back to college after 8 years. Can I really go back? Would I know or even remember how to write a paper? Do algebra? When will I study or do homework? I was so nervous but I knew this was the right time. Something inside myself just told me to take my chances and make this happen.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would go back to college and accomplish as much as I have in such a short period of time. Working as an Ambassador in Campus Life, being apart of the school newspaper “The Bridge”, VP of the club “Oturo Osa”, becoming the recipient of the CUNY Vice Chancellor’s Excellence in Leadership Award.
Although juggling all of these various responsibilities is extremely exhausting, complicated and challenging, I wouldn’t trade it for ANYTHING in the world.
Its definitely not an easy task breaking yourself into a million pieces to juggle school, work and motherhood… but it can be done. It’s all about DOING IT! You’ll be surprised at what you are capable of accomplishing if you get passed all the self doubt and just believe in yourself.
