I have been asked several times over the last year how I could possibly manage to continue going to school with a child all while parenting alone. “How do you have time to do homework?” “Who watches your son for you?” “How do you find time to study?” “How do you keep your grades up?” All questions that have continued to come up time and time again. For the record, it hasn’t been an easy task, but here are some things that may help you attempt the college journey as a single mother.
First off, don’t forget to check out federal grants. With the help of grants you may be able to go to school for little or nothing. Between scholarships and grants I’ve hardly had to pay a thing to go to college and I managed to do it without going into a whole lot of debt either.
When it comes to homework, I really struggled at first. I couldn’t find a way to balance my school life and my life as a mother. I was bombarded with homework and I didn’t know how to get things done and still find time to play with my son and give him the attention he so desperately needed from his mother. Thankfully, after a semester I figured things out and got my priorities straight. I wasn’t going to give up on school, but Logan needed his mom. Kids are only little once, I wasn’t about to miss it. So I started doing the majority of my homework after Logan went to bed. I’d put him down a little earlier than usual and spend a few hours working on homework each night. Any time he was at his dad’s, I slaved away working to get ahead on any projects I had coming up. Every once in a while I had to do a little studying while he was playing with some toys, but most of the time I was able to get things done when he was asleep or gone for a few hours.
I was lucky enough to have a program at my school that provided child care specifically for single parents based on their income while they were in classes. This was my main source of daycare for Logan, but I was also fortunate enough to have two amazing friends who watched Logan each and every time I had to go take a test. I also had family rush to the rescue when Logan was too sick to go to daycare. I have been very blessed as I have continued on my journey through school. It has been far from easy, but I know without a doubt that it is all worth it in the end.