Children and Going to School

[RNSuzq1]

I waited until our youngest was settled in school to "finally" pursue my dream of Nursing. I chose to challenge the schools College Level Algebra Exam instead of taking the course and spent a month studying for it. Luckily/Surprisingly (after being out of school for 20 years) I did fantastic on it and was eligible to apply for this Falls Nursing Program.

I had to take the TEAS Test (Entrance Exam) last month and spent many nights after work and on weekends shut up in my bedroom studying for over a month. My husband works crazy hours at a hospital and luckily it worked out where he could watch the kids a lot of nights and let me study. The 2 youngest seemed to knock on the door every 5 minutes (wondering how long it could possibly take me to study for just (1) Test. My 11 year old said it only takes him a few hours to study for a test, so he figured my brain must be really rusty. :chuckle

Our oldest Son is 19, a College Freshman and helped me a great deal while studying for the TEAS. The younger 2 boys are 8 and 11 and can't figure out why on earth their 42 year old Mother would actually "want" to go to school, since nobody is making me go, ha, ha.. I spent the day at a local park with the 2 little guys today - explained to them if I got into School for the Fall - I'm going to be taking a night class during the Summer (A&P) - 3 nights a week after I get off work and we wouldn't get to spend much time together this Summer.

This just cracked me up. The 11 year old said he thought I was already finished with school since I spent so much time studying and took a couple of tests. He thought the "algebra exam" got me into school and the last test I took (The TEAS) was my final exam. :rotfl: He thought the letter I was waiting to get (the acceptance or rejection letter for school) was from a hospital offering me a job (I wish)!!! I thought they understood months ago what I was trying to do, but obviously had no idea that "Mom" would be studying for the next 2 years and spending lots of time "holed up in my room"... They said Dad didn't take them fun places and do lots of fun stuff with them like I do - so they're not sure how they'll survive 2 years with me being gone a lot.

I'm just glad I waited this long to do this - as upset as they are at their ages thinking I won't be able to do a lot with them, there's no way I could have left them when they were a lot younger. Obviously "homebody Dad" will have to take up some of the slack (get off the couch on his days off) and learn to love taking the kids to museums, parks, picnics, etc. because they really enjoy that kind of stuff and I'm guessing I won't have a lot of free time to do that sort of thing for awhile if I start school in the Fall.

If any of you have kids the ages of mine, how did they handle you being gone so much, how your husbands felt about helping out a lot more with everything and if it caused any problems on the "home front". Thanks, Susan

[scrubs70]

Just wondering if it is safe for a man to enter :chair:

I know what you mean though, my father was very much like that, on the odd occassion my mother would get some work, or just feel like a night off, It would be cheese on toast for us kids. I am happy to say I am not like that, although my wife on the other hand..........

Needless to say if I don't cook, we get takeout :)

[kwagner_51]

My kids are 17, girl, and 13, 12, and 9 boys. My 17 y/o is JEALOUS because we will have money after all these years. She graduates the same yr. I do. [2005]

We have bills to pay and my 12 y/o keeps putting words in my mouth by saying that I said that he could get ....... whatever. I know I didn't say it...but... I could have agreed to something he said when he asked and my head was buried in a book.

My 13 y/o understands that it is going to be another yr. before we have money to really live.

My 9 y/o just breaks my heart. He doesn't want me in school and he doesn't want me to work. Yet, he doesn't want to be poor either.

He is getting picked on by a couple of bullies on the bus and he got wrote up for fighting. I told him to defend himself and if a kid calls him an f***** then he has the right to defend himself. Our 14 y/o neighbor hit him in the head with a rock. The 14 y/o's mother is in jail and his G-ma is staying with him. She came up with a cock and bull story...with tears and all... about why this boy is being mean to my sons. I DO NOT care what his problem is. He is a BULLY. He is afraid of girls and only fights kids younger or smaller than him.

My Dh works weird shifts and helps when he can. He has become the taxi, taking kids to ball practice and Boy Scouts etc. He tries to help with homework but most nights I help because he is sleeping. He works from 11pm to whenever. and from 1 AM to whenever. It is hard physical labor and he is 50. So I cut him alot of slack, because w/o his income, we would stave and I wouldn't be in school.

I have one more week of class and then the final. I found out yesterday that my final is on the same day as my 13 y/o's T & A surgery.

Then the next week, my 13 y/o is taking a placement test to see where he belongs in school. [Right now he is in the 5th grade, with his 12 y/o brother].

The week after that, my mother and sister are coming for a one week vacation.

The next week, I start summer school. 5 days a week for 5 weeks. I get out of summer school on the 7th of July and Fall semester starts August 22.

I am also planning on homeschooling my 13 y/o for 9 weeks in the Fall.

Thanks for letting me vent. My instructor this 8 weeks has been a real nightmare and I can't do anything right.

Thanks for listening!!

[rn undisclosed name]

Your kids crack me up with those comments about being done already and getting a call for a job. They just don't realize what hard work it truly is and 1 test is very small in the grand scheme of things. It would be so nice if it only took us 5 minutes to study for a test.

My kids are 7 and almost 3. DH will help out around here but never willingly. Honestly, I would quit school and always threaten him to do it too and then he changes. So that puts him back into shape pretty quickly. Funny thing is I used to work full-time and dh used to do quite a bit like laundry and cleaning. Now that I have been a sahm for the last 2 years he has gotten very used to doing very little around the house. I just feel like a broken record telling him I need more support from him cause I can't do it all.

I haven't been getting as much studying done as I want to so I told dh that we are not doing anything else around the house (meaning no new projects) until I have taken my final. School is my priority right now. The house can wait.