Mom of a 7 year old starting last semester....feel like a bad mother

[brandyberry1973]

I have made it to my last semester which starts next week. We will have the HESI exit exam along with clinicals and regular exams. I am already freakin out about HESI. My husband is a long haul truck driver and is gone for several weeks at a time so I am pretty much a single mom. I feel like I have neglected my 7 year old son so much in order for me to do this nursing school thing. He is starting to act out and show some frustration/anger issues and its only with me....he's perfect at school and with others. I just feel like a bad mom. Like a good mom would always make time to go do what ever with her child. But when I get home I study or clean up my house or get him fed/washed/homework.....Really I end up starting to study around 9 or 10 after he goes to sleep then Im tired and its a cruel cycle. I keep saying Ive made it this far.....we can make it until May when I graduate and then things will be ok...but I dont know. I am afraid my son will say "you didnt have time for me for the last 2 years so I dont have time or interest in you now". guess Im just venting.......:typing

[missjennmb]

Just wanted to chime in to agree with the pp's. I have 3 kids, 1 yr, 3 yrs, and 14 yrs. They ALL started having issues from my not being around enough during my past semester. The baby wouldn't come to me when she was upset (wanted my husband instead). My 3 yr old never wanted me anymore period. My teen started being a super brat.

I started giving each of them something of me each week, just 1 on 1 time. If I am home when the younger ones go to bed, I try to do their bedtimes, a story and hugs for the 3 yr old, and a bottle and cuddles for the baby. I spend a few hours every Friday with my teen when its just the two of us, and unless I have a test the next week, I keep one of my babies home on a Friday (alternating which of them) for some one on one time. Its not a whole lot and I don't ever have a whole day (I work on top of nsg school) but its enough to change their behavior and keep the bond between us at a level that, if not as great as I wish it was, atleast within a range that we can all live with. (now if I could just squeeze more time in for hubby *sigh*)

[lizzyberry]

I have a 4 year old and a 5 year old and I am about to start my last semester in two weeks. Ive also felt guilty at times for not spending time with them throughtout school but I always make it an issue to tell them I love them and to take them out to places they love like McDonalds(play land) or take them to buy a toy at the dollar store. I think that we are so busy as moms but like they say quality time is sometimes better than the amount we have with them. I think that we should tell ourselves that going through nursing school is best for the whole family and not to feel guilty because we are showing the best example to our children by reading all the time and being excited when we get good grades. So I def. feel you on the feeling guilty but we just have to be excited that we only have 1 more semester, and I know I owe me and my kids a big vacation after graduation!