Stay at home mom...scared to go back to school

Tricia76 · Aug 3, 2011

Well I have been out of high school for 16 years now and decided to go back to school to be an RN. Well I am doing my pre-reqs now..I just finished 2 classes this summer and have 4 classes this fall. I am a stay at home mom but my children are 15 and almost 13. I tell you it was scary going back to school for me..I am 35 years old..been out of school for so long. I also had low confidence in myself thinking there is no way I can do this..but I am..I am trying as hard as I can to become that nurse I wanna be and so can you..You just gotta put your mind to it and tell yourself this is what I want and nothing is getting in my way. You can do it!

learningmom · Aug 3, 2011

Thanks Tricia! Best wishes for your journey as a student

Tricia76 · Aug 3, 2011

Thanks :)

lissa.the.cocoa · Aug 3, 2011

My mom is an LPN (in the U.S.). She was a stay at home mom for 8 years. She went back to school in an ADN program when I was ~8 years old, and she didn't finish - she only had two semesters left, but she couldn't do it with an 8, 6, and 4 year old and very little help from my dad. (He's old-school, and believes that child-rearing is women's work.) So she left the program and was a SAHM again.

6-7 years later she went back to school! She finished her LPN program when I was in high school, around 16 or 17 years old. I'm 25 now, so she's been a nurse for almost 10 years, at the same hospital, in mother/baby. She's now trying to do an LPN-RN program. She's 50. She was so scared to try again, scared that she would have to drop out again or that she wouldn't be able to keep up with the work. But she worked really hard. I'm proud of my mom!

It's never too late and you are never too old. You can do it!

Now she DID say that it was easier to do when we were teenagers My youngest sister was 12, and we looked after each other, and I could cook dinner and clean up after ourselves when she went to her school and did her clinicals (mostly evening classes). That's how I learned to cook, taking over for my mom during nursing school, lol! We also studied and did homework all at the same time, lol. We were also older so we could give her more encouragement, too - "go mom! you can do it, you've wanted to be a nurse for years!" We really wanted her to be a nurse, as much as she wanted to be one, and she says the encouragement helped her keep going when it was hard.

NICUorbust, ADN · Aug 3, 2011

I say it's totally doable! I'll turn 40 in Sept. I have five kids (one in college) and the others are 16,14, 7 and 5! I'm pulling 18 credits this semester, and am a photographer, still doing weddings twice a month and about 4 sessions a month to boot. If I can do it, ANYONE can!!

Good luck!

AliF · Aug 4, 2011

I'm doing it! And my littlest is not quite 4 months. I'm taking 7 credits this semester and 7 next semester to finish pre-reqs, and the classes I've taken will keep my course load at 12 credits for next year when I hopefully attend nursing school.

vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN · Aug 4, 2011

Hi! Lots of moms on all nurses have transitioned from SAHM to nursing school. I went back to school when my youngest was 4 years old after a 5 year break, (my oldest was in high school) I'm taking prereqs now. If you do a search on AN, you'll find lots of women in your shoes to draw inspiration from. I actually put all the stories on a word doc and saved it, to look at for inspiration.

Good Luck Mama! You Can Do It.

PS I know lots of real life moms who are going back to school, also. It can be done.

rn4me2be · Aug 4, 2011

I was a stay at home mom for 16 years (still am) and went back to school one year ago. I was scared! But I have totally rocked! My GPA is 3.85. Just decide to succeed and you will!

learningmom · Aug 4, 2011

wow! I wasn't expecting these many replies. Thank you all for every word. I woke up today looking foward to coming on here.

tippeny · Aug 4, 2011

I am a returning student as well. I have 2 degrees in music performance and worked as a musician for 8 years before becoming a stay-at-home mom. I have been at home for 3 years and have been taking prerequisites for the past year. As everyone else has said, yes, it is entirely doable. The only other thing I would add, is that at this stage in your life- older,wiser, more responsibilities, etc...- there is more at stake. That alone is an ENORMOUS motivator! When you are a teenager just entering college, the only pressure to succeed is really from yourself. Now, your family is depending on you and you will find a way to be successful! In our family, we want to move to a safer, better school district before our oldest daughter (now 6) goes to middle school. We can't do that until I actually have a job. I won't get a job until I have my nursing degree; won't get my degree until I am accepted, finish my prereqs.... You get the picture! There is a lot more riding on my success now, which, for me, is a huge motivator. I am maintaining a 4.0 in all of my sciences and my husband travels for 100 days each year, so I am doing this as a 'single mom' for 1/3 of the year. Just remember that as a mom, you are already good at multitasking and prioritizing. You will find a way to do it!!

mrsecookie · Aug 4, 2011

Hey there!

You can TOTALLY do this!! I got back into college after about 3 years away, when my eldest had just turned two, and my youngest was 5 months! I took just two of my pre-reqs the first semester and got A's. Totally bumped up my self-esteem! I'm getting ready to start my third semester of school and have managed to keep my grades up! I've found this time around I'm even more determined and focused! I can't wait to be a nurse, and to show my girls what I've accomplished!

Erin =)