Mom’s Voices

I recently found two sources pertaining to moms going back to school. One is a blog posting by Jennifer Brown and the other is an online article form Parenting Magazine by Marisa Maeyama.
Jennifer Brown of Time for School Mom gives tips for managing school and children. One of her tips is to use your kids. Whether they are younger and wanting to act like mommy, by studying or older and can aide you in the process of getting back into the grove of being a student. You do not need to feel as though you are neglecting your family life, you can incorporate it.
A few other suggestions are finding a reliable babysitter and using other family members as well as finding a campus close to home, taking a day off of school and letting you professor know. I believe this is true, especially since there are some classes when you are simply work shopping or reviewing. These are the best classes to take advantage of.
In Marisa Maeyama article she tells the story of Niccole Footit who is a mother of a 2-year-old and 6-month old, which I seem to relate to more being the mother of a 4-month old. Niccole’s husband lost his job, they had the “family talk” of how can we support our family. They decided Niccole could go back to school to open her options up for more work. One of her main concerns was not being a part of her children everyday lives and being able to balance school work with house work.
I find both of these sites were useful in the information they provided. Jennifer’s tip on incorporating her children also allows her to spend time with them, as well as finding someone to care for them that you trust while you are busy. Marisa and Niccole discuss the topic of spending time with your children. Having a 4-month-old at home I want to spend every waking minute with him. Although it is hard I remind myself why I am doing this. Niccole explains to her oldest that it will allow her to give him the best she can and also show them school is important. These sources are straight from mothers who are going back to school. What better source than that?

Brown, Jennifer. Time for School Mom: 10 Tips for Managing School and Children. Oct. 13, 2009. http://www.back2college.com/timeforschool.htm.

Maeyama, Marisa and Footit, Niccole. Mom Triumph: Going Back to School. Oct. 13, 2009.
http://www.parenting.com/article/Mom/Work--Family/Mom-Triumph-Going-Back-to-School