is it hard going back to school as a single parent or wait

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hello, i was planning on going back to school to get a degree in nursing, however i am 26 and a single mother now so i'm not sure how it will work out. I thought about just taking it slow and doing one class a semester rather than taking a full load. Or just waiting until my daughter was maybe in her teens, since i heard these years fly by so fast and i want to make sure that her needs are taken care of more than my own. She is five now, but then again i just want to go ahead and get all of this school stuff out of the way, i'm just not sure what the best route is to go. Just wondering how other nurses did it with children in tow. Or did they play the waiting game as well.

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I think school is hard whether you're a single parent or not. lol It all depends on if you have help or resources that will allow you to go to school and your daughter will be taken care of also. I wanted to go back to school for a long time before I was actually able to go. Part of the reason I couldn't was because I was a single parent for a while, but I say if you're able to go.. do it! Take your pre-reqs part-time and/or take online classes if you need to, but.. as my mother-in-law once told me.. the next few years are going to pass regardless of what you do, so you might as well do something with them instead of wishing you had later.

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Specializes in Home Health, Geriatrics.

I was 33 when I started LPN school. I was a single mother with kids ages 12, 8 and 2. It was hard. I had a very supportive family. I had to make time to study after the kids fell asleep. I was up until sometimes 4 in the morning studying, but it was well worth the time spent.

If you want to be a nurse really badly, you can do it with kids... they will love you for thinking about your future and theirs. :nuke:

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Specializes in Cardiac, ER.

It's hard,.but can be done. I had an 8mo old and a 9yr old when I started Nursing school,...it sucked,..for 2 yrs our lives revolved around "when Mom gets out of school....". I had recently divorced but I had great support from friends and family.

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Specializes in ER.

I went through a very intensive 18 month paramedic program when my son was two years old as a single parent. It was tough, but it can be done. I was in a position where I HAD to do it...I had nothing to fall back on. I had family support, but had to be creative in my own ways. I was blessed with a vary patient and understanding child, who rolled with the punches, and that made it easier.

I started nursing school when he was 14 (and I was still single). In a way, that was rougher, if only because of the scheduling nightmares we had to work out. He was very active in dance and theatre, and I had to figure out how to get him to shows and auditions, plus his school, plus my school plus my work. Keep in mind that teens do become rather needy little parasites ( ;) ).

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Specializes in floor to ICU.

I had to chime in. Not a single parent here but as far as when to start school, I say go now while she is young. Teens can be challenging. Sometimes, I think they need their parents more then than when they were younger. Mine put us through hades while I was finishing school. Skipping school, ran away, etc. She has since straighted up (thankfully). Little kids, little problems. Big kids, big problems.

Plus, by the time she is a teenager you'll be done with school and able to afford all those pricey electronics that they all want ;)

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Specializes in Home Health, Podiatry, Neurology, Case Mgmt.

Have you thought about doing LPN school first? Most states it's usually a year long or 12month program full-time. I'm not technically a "single" mom, but i did do my LPN when my husband was deployed to Iraq for 12 from 2005-2006. I decided the baby steps way of doing things worked best for us...i started LPN school with an 8 month old and graduated when he was 20 months. I did however have a WONDERFULLY supportive family to help out with him. Now two years later (i've been working as an LPN and had another baby) I will return for an LPN to RN bridge program when my husband deploys again, this time for 15 months. I start school in Oct 2008 and will graduate March 2010 so a little over a year and a half. My daughter will be 5 months old, and my son willl be 3.5 yr when i go back to school this time. It is pretty hard but i am truely a believer that if you want something bad enough, you just DO IT right then and there and get it over with...down the road things will be brighter...and so far things have been for me! :yeah:

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i have a few single moms in my class and they seems to get by.

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Specializes in Critical Care-Neuro/Trauma ICU.

I too am a single mother of a 6 year old daughter and I'm just finished with my first semester of NS. Here is my advice...the sooner you finish the sooner you can provide your child with a better life. I know it's hard physically and emotionally to go full steam ahead in school and try to raise a child at the same time, but I promise you it will be worth it in the end. I wasted too many years putting my education on hold and working BS jobs that weren't going anywhere...being miserable because all I wanted was to become a nurse but I felt so guilty focusing on myself rather than my child. Eventually I realized that though she and I would have to suffer through, it would ultimately be to both of our benefits. There are many nights that I have to lock myself away with a book, and nights before clinical my daughter goes to stay at my mom's because I have to report at 6:45am (and I don't think it's fair to make her get up at 5:00am). It's hard...there will be tears of sadness, guilt, and joy on the road...but I would advise you to bust your hump, rely on your support system, and get it done! Your daughter will thank you for it one day and you will have the biggest sense of accomplishment you could imagine!:yeah:

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