Nervous about starting nursing school in the fall and could use some encouragement

[shelleyd]

I am going to be starting nursing school in the fall and I am so nervous. My dh is working out of town and so Sunday night through Thursday night I am completely on my own with our two daughters. I am doing everything to run our household- cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, taking the girls to activities, parenting, et cetera. Dh has to stay and work weekends fairly frequently. I am exhausted and feel like I am already maxed out. I cannot imagine adding full time school to the mix.

I am really worried about how I am going to balance all of what I am doing now plus full time nursing school. I am having a really hard time finding daycare for my girls for the fall and so that is really stressing me out. DD1 will be starting kindergarten and I'm worried about her having to start daycare too for the first time ever at the same time. She's pretty sensitive and I worry about that transition for her. I'm worried that I won't be able to be a good student and a good mother.

I keep telling myself that single mothers go to school all the time and if they can do it so can I. But I just keep thinking that I am only human and I can only handle so much. I'd love to hear from some of you that have been there done that.

Shelley

[springmama]

No advice here but just wanted to let you know that you are not alone. I am starting school in the summer. I have a part time job and two little ones. The job, kids and house responsibilities wear me out as it is so I have no idea how I will cope! I just keep telling myself the same thing; that single moms do it all the time and at least I only have to work part time and not full time.

All we can do I guess is give ourselves the benefit of the doubt, try our best and remember that there is only so much that we can do. Best of luck to you!

[buckeye_bebe]

Wow, I admire you for raising a family and going back to school. I am impressed and inspired! But also pleased that you are going in to a specialty that really helped me out in my time of need, so I hope that you get to do good on some very special patients! Seems like you are more confident than you think

[r&mmommy]

I am also going to school full time in the Fall (and working full time also) and I feel your pain. Best of luck!!

[Drummer's Wife]

I'm also going to school full-time in the fall (am part-time now) - and I have four kids (the youngest is 3). I hope to start nursing school next year and am nervous myself about how I will juggle it all. I'm taking a CNA course in a few months, and figure the clinicals then will be preview of how nursing school will be b/c DH is going to have to get the kids out the door/to school and will have to take time off work if they get sick. We live away from family, so unfortunately won't have their help.

Hope you find daycare soon, so you'll feel more at ease. Just keep reminding yourself that it is only 2 years, and it will be worth all the hard work in the end.

[Latte Mama]

You will do it. It will be tough at times but you will cope and your family will get used to it. I remember when I was in nursing school, there was a chick that had 4 kids AND was pregnant with her fifth. She did great! There are lots of resources online to help and you will buddy up with people in your class. Nursing school is a comraderie.

[geekgolightly]

Originally Posted by Drummer's Wife

Hope you find daycare soon, so you'll feel more at ease. Just keep reminding yourself that it is only 2 years, and it will be worth all the hard work in the end.

This!

And just remember that it's OK to not be the perfect stellar mom, or the perfect stellar student. Do your best, accept your limits and be ok with them. So the house might be messy and/or you might get some B's on tests. Your kids are gonna be so proud of their mom! My son is in kindergarten now and loves telling his friends that his mom saves lives.

[shelleyd]

Thank you so much everyone for the encouragement. It is nice to hear that others will be going through the same thing and others still are already on the other side. Geekgolightly, I think that your advice to accept my limitations is very wise and something that I am constantly struggling with.

Best of luck to everyone balancing raising kids and school or work!