seattleattic

I'm hoping to hear from parents out there who have almost full-time care of their children, who have struggled to study and be organized. To be fair, my kids' dad will help if I give him enough notice, and my mom lives with me, so making the time to study should not be an issue. I try to be organized, but I am disorganized, for one. I need tips on making a chart or SOMETHING that will help me be organized. I hear so many stories of the single mom who works full-time, goes to school full-time, cares for her kids and has a 4.0. It makes me wonder if there is something wrong with me. :-( Part of my problem is that 1) I feel guilty about leaving my kids with my mom to study, because she helps so much anyway and they tire her out; 2) When I study with the kids, they tend to interrupt a lot (they're 12, 8 and 7)--at least, the two younger ones do; 3) When they finish homework, the two younger ones eventually finish the day by bickering, so I end up referrining and counseling; 4) I feel guilty at leaving my kids because I miss them when I leave home to study at the library; 5) I'm one of those people who hates to ask (bother) others for help. How do I get over these issues and how do I become more organized? I'm not looking to be a superstar mom, but I'm getting worried because my grades are suffering and the nursing progams I want to get into are competitive, even at the community college level. Thanks for any advice.

Hi, I'm new here (posted for first time about a week ago). Today I received my final grade for AP1 and it's a 2.8. I'm very disappointed. The average grade in this class at my school is 3.9. No one gets into the nursing program with anything below a 3.9. I took this class last year as an audit, right after some upheavals in my life. I had to audit the class because I was unable to pass a single exam. This time around I was in a better frame of mind, though still reeling from crazy things in my life. As a single mom to three children, I do get help from my mom, who lives with me, and my kids' dad is around. It's the suffering from clinical depression that is getting to me! Does anyone have words of encouragement, personal tales of survival after a bad grade or should I just give up?

Wow, thanks to you both. I thought for sure someone would tell me to try something else. I have taken several interest inventories and nursing always comes up. I am so afraid of not being good enough. The instructor this quarter was really good and I think my retention was bettered by my recording the lectures and going over and over them with the PowerPoints. I did not do that last year. The instructor knows I was having a hard time in my personal life. My Fall Quarter class will be with her as well. She is going to give me a copy of the syllabus so I can study over the summer. I was thinking of making an appointment with the career counseling office to see what services they offer. I do feel discouraged and frustrated, but I'm glad someone out there telling me not to give up. I've wanted to do this for so long and never had the guts to try it until a friend suggested I do it. Thanks again.

Hi, I'm new here. I decided two years ago to return to school to become a nurse. I have a BA (1997) that did not require any sciences. For the past two years, I have gone to school off and on, depending on whether I could afford to pay tuition. I am a single mom, separated from my husband for the past year and a half. I've undergone several life changes, with my dad and then my grandmother dying, facing foreclosure (that has worked out), things like that. In Spring 2010 I ended up auditing A&P I class because I couldn't concentrate or pass any of the exams. I really should not have attended classes what with my imminent separation and death of my family members. But I did anyway. So come Spring 2012 and I took A&P I AGAIN, with a different instructor. She was great and I did really well until the practical exams came around. For a while I was maintaining a 3.3 in the class and I have gone down since. I will probably end up with a 2.7-2.9. Grades have not been posted. With all I have going on in my life, I am beginning to doubt my abilities and wonder if I am simply studying for the wrong thing. I have never been strong at the sciences or math, and I actually surprised myself this time around with the A&P class because I understood and took in a lot more this time around. I am a VERY bad test-taker. Am I doing the wrong thing? Should I give up?