Juggling kids and work

[rdr75]

Hi! Im new here. I am 37, have 3 young kids and am considering LPN school. My plan is to start as a CNA and then go for the lpn. I want to work as a cna 1st to see if nursing is right for me. My question is, how difficult will it be to juggle work & 3 kids? I cannot afford daycare so Id have to work nights at first I think. But how hard will that be? When will I sleep? I would love any input or personal experience. Thanks!

[Bringonthenight]

What makes you want to be a nurse? Is it a life long dream or just "a job with good security"? Working as a CNA first is a good idea and something I reccomend to all students or pre students to expose them to the clinical environment, help them develop skills etc. Do you know where you want to work as an LPN? Because most LPNs struggle finding any work as new grads, the most likely place you'll find work is LTC. A lot of nurses/CNAs cannot afford child care and work nights to be with their kids in the day. Your body will learn to adjust to the change. If your planning on being a nurse, you will most likely have to do nights at some stage as well. Make sure your picking this career for the right reasons and realize the job market is appalling for LPNs right now. All the best with your decision! Any more questions just ask

[rdr75]

Thank you for your comments. I have wanted to be a nurse ever since my first child was born. Since then I have had so many wonderful experiences with nurses; in hospital stays for both myself and my children at various times. I want to make a difference in peoples lives, be it at the end of it or in times of sickness. I have a few friends who are LPNs and didn't have any trouble finding a job after grad. I live in the Hudson Valley in NY

[CloudySue]

Are you a single mom, or do you have a significant other to help out? I have two young girls and I could never have done school and work without huge support from my husband, yet there were many in my class that did get through it as a single mom. If you have other support like your mother, other family, or even an eldest responsible sibling, that would be a big help too. I missed a lot of my kids' lives that year in school, even having to hole myself up in my room while the kids were home, just studying. I work overnights now, and since my kids are now both in elementary school, I have only 6 hours of daytime sleeping before I have to get them off the bus. When they have days off from school, sleeping is very hard to do. They're old enough to understand I need to sleep, but they get frustrated having to stay quiet all day and not go outside. Even if I take the night off, my sleep schedule is still messed up. It's very tricky to get it to work, but it can be done. Only do this if you really have a passion for it, otherwise you will resent your life quickly. Fortunately I like what I do. I do private duty, so my job itself is not hard, it's juggling my life around it which is the big life stressor for me.