How do you balance work\family\school?

CHATSDALE · Jun 21, 2008

sometimes when we feel quilty about neglecting our families d/t school those little ones will pick up on it and play to the hilt but the sacrifice will be worth and they will be very proud of a parent who is not only loving but smart too

the military wife reminded me of a dtr of a friend of mine, she went to school while he was deployed to have something to keep her mind off the problems. she went to lpn school then to rn and is set to graduate next year

RNDream1978 · Jun 22, 2008

I actually work for at the corporate office for JoAnn Fabrics in Hudson, OH. I have been there for 10 years next month. I do not like my job, however, it has been paying the bills for quite some time, so I can't complain too much. I have been waiting for my daughter to be old enough to where I do not feel so bad for leaving her and my son for a couple extra hours a night. She is now 3 1/2, and she loves to hang out with my mom, so the school thing is working out well.

I just keep reminding myself every day that when I am done with school, the kids will still be young and they will appreciate what I have done, and I as well, cannot wait to feel the pride in calling myself an RN.

MassED, BSN, RN · Jun 22, 2008

Congrats on an exciting decision and future. I too was a non traditional nursing student, mother of 4 and wife of a loving but not the most supportive husband!!
You will be amazed at the friendships you will develop in nursing school, I met one of my dearest friends in my chemistry class. We would take our kids to the park to play while we studied, in the winter we would pack into Burger Kings play land, the kids played for hours while we studied and enjoyed the free refills.
You will find a balance that works for you, you may find your self studying along side your kids after school while they are doing their homework, or maybe it will be after the kids go to bed. But you will be able to do it since your mature enough to see the light at the end of the tunnel and know what needs to be done.
Somethings will have to go, for me it was I could no longer volunteer for every elementary school class party or field trip. I would do one a year for each kid and that was it. I missed some ball games and even a few musicals. On the flip side, I also missed my own pinning to attend a childs Christmas program--to me his Christmas program was more important than my pinning ceremony, I have no regrets over this.
Housework also took a back seat on my list of priorities, if the kids were basically well fed and had clean clothes and the dishes were put away I felt like I was winning. I soon realized that Hamburger Helper and a can of green beans did in fact count as a balanced supper and everyone seemed to like it. I did not feel bad about this either.
I kept a big calender of all of our schedules and always circled in bright red the last day of the semester. When things got tough or I was feeling overwhelmed, I would count the days/weeks and this made me feel better, I knew I could finish. Sometimes when I was feeling overwhelmed I would pull up my past school schedules and look at my grades and realize how far I had already come.
You need to take it one week at a time, each week you finish is one week closer to graduation. The time will literally fly by and in a few years you will be like me and feel you actually miss school.
Best of luck--your kids will be so proud of you when your done, mine were of me. You are a great role model.

Your story has many similarities to mine. I started nursing school when my oldest was 4 months old. We had a routine, we played from the time I got home from school until he went to bed at 7:30pm. I knew I could take the time for him (since I was in school all day and he was in daycare) and study after he was asleep so I didn't miss out on our bonding. My husband couldn't have made any difference during this time period. I didn't work at that time, so he was financially the go-to person.

I couldn't have done that with my second boy - no way. He was awake all of the time - naps were literally 10 minutes long. He would wake up at 4AM and be ready for the day (he did that for the first YEAR of his life). Nevermind the fact that I worked the 11a-11p shift in the ER and wouldn't get to bed until about 1am. Talk about Starbucks keeping my life afloat then (well and now too. :yeah: )

So if you can find some childcare arrangements that would work for you (that's always the hardest part, isn't it?), the studying time will be when you can find it. If you have to lose sleep and be exhausted - we've all been there with nursing school. It's not a pleasant experience (but it is fulfilling and gratifying looking back) - it is challenging, mentally tormenting, and physically demanding. But, where there is a will.....

My great meal (ha!) was "Tater tot casserole" which was the best (and easy to make). There were always left overs, which was great also. I found creative ways to make a quick meal, clean quickly and with those things aside - I could give time to my son and worry about studying later.

I went back to school for my BSN when my second child was 3 - that is much easier (relatively speaking) than when they are an infant. I didn't feel as guilty to study while he was running around. He kept himself entertained and he had his brother to play with also. Good luck!

k_r_ah · Jul 15, 2008

After working for a veterinarian for 4 yrs I decided to go back to school. I knew I wanted to go to nursing school and I also knew how intense it would be. I chose not to work and to dedicate myself to school. I had to work with a more limited income but I also learned about needs vs. wants. I don't need cable TV. Our family doesn't need to eat out every night. We don't need junk food. I don't need to buy things from Target:cry:, but it will all pay off in the long run. I've gotten mostly good grades so I've received scholarships and of course I have student loans that may equal the value of some folks homes (kidding). :nuke:

whodatnurse · Jul 15, 2008

After working for a veterinarian for 4 yrs I decided to go back to school. I knew I wanted to go to nursing school and I also knew how intense it would be. I chose not to work and to dedicate myself to school. I had to work with a more limited income but I also learned about needs vs. wants. I don't need cable TV. Our family doesn't need to eat out every night. We don't need junk food. I don't need to buy things from Target:cry:, but it will all pay off in the long run. I've gotten mostly good grades so I've received scholarships and of course I have student loans that may equal the value of some folks homes (kidding). :nuke:

Huh...No Tar-zhay? :bluecry1:

That's the whole point of that store...it has all that great stuff you never KNEW you needed!!!:redbeathe:redbeathe:redbeathe

k_r_ah · Jul 15, 2008

Huh...No Tar-zhay?
That's the whole point of that store...it has all that great stuff you never KNEW you needed!!!:redbeathe:redbeathe:redbeathe

I know! lol