You may feel that taking on a time-consuming course as a student to be quite intimidating when you already have children to look after. It can be quite a balancing act to manage to juggle everything, so here is a guest post, that I have had input from my experiences as a student parent at university, which takes a look at some of the top tips for student mothers or fathers.
Choose Classes Carefully
The good news about college is that there is some freedom in choosing class times. So, it’s important to take advantage of that. A plan of attack that many parents use is to schedule classes while their children are in school. By aligning schedules, you reduce the chance of those schedules clashing.
For those that find it hard to get out of the house for long enough periods, or are home educating their children, then online tuition can be helpful. These programs usually allow students to work whenever they have time. This often works better for parents who can’t necessarily create a rigid schedule.
Look for Academic Help
When balancing school and motherhood, it can be difficult to find the time to study. So, resources that will help a student understand information quickly are valuable. Tutoring programs, as an example, are made to help you learn what you’ve been struggling with.
Essay writing services are also a great way to save time. Every student comes to asking themselves a simple question – “Who could write my essay for me?” at least once during their schooling years. These services can help you write and edit any writing assignment due tomorrow in no time. This frees up time that a parent needs to devote to their family. Anything that can help speed up the learning process in any way will be helpful. Additionally, using student services can help you study more effectively which will help you pass your classes.
Build a Support System
Doing everything single-handedly can get overwhelming or even verge on impossible. That’s why it can be useful to build a network that you can trust and lean on. For instance, if there’s a big test tomorrow, see if someone can watch your kids for the night so you can study. If you can find others who are doing the same course as you then it can be helpful to talk over what you’ve learned – to firm it up in your memory or get another perspective.
Set Boundaries
Doing everything can lean on the impossible. That’s why it’s critical to know when to say “No.” Taking on extra work that takes up too much time will harm more than it helps. Weight the pros and cons of every situation before adding it to an already tightly packed schedule. Writing out a schedule can help ensure you balance your time efficiently – only allowing you to say yes to things you need as you won’t have time for non-necessary things.
Give Children a Few Chores
When you have a lot to balance, even small tasks can seem enormous. That’s why, if your children are old enough, giving them chores to help around the house can really benefit you all. Not to mention, there are other benefits to chores such as teaching responsibility. Having some help with tasks such as the dinner dishes or taking out the rubbish can make a big difference when you’re on a busy schedule.
Try Out Meal Prepping
Meal prepping has been getting a lot of attention lately and for good reason. Taking the time to make meals when you have free time, which can be quickly prepared when you are studying, is a huge timesaver. All you really need is to find a couple of hours to save several hours later on. This is also good for achieving zero waste – which will help you cut back on spending – which may be needed for those much needed books etc.
Take Some Time to Breathe
Finally, make sure to take some time to step back and breathe. Only existing as a student and a mother can run someone down rather quickly. It’s absolutely crucial to take some time off to rest and recharge as an individual. This will help busy moms avoid burnout.
Hopefully with these tips, you’ll have a much smoother time balancing things out; or even made you consider that you can have the option of studying whilst raising children.
This is a collaborative post.