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Tamara Lamantia, a senior from Warren, Ohio, holds the Yoga surf move. Tamara works as a yoga instructor at a local gym.
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It’s 3 a.m. The baby won’t stop screaming. The baby shouldn’t be hungry, but the sleep-deprived mother finally gives in. A bottle and rocking chair finally persuade the baby to sleep. Relieved, the mother crawls into bed. Glancing at the clock she realizes she’s only going to get two hours of sleep that night.
Most mothers have experienced a situation like this at least once. A baby is a 24-hour commitment. When schooling is added to the responsibilities of raising a child, life becomes hectic and sleep becomes a luxury.
“You pretty much forego sleep when you become a mom,” Ashleigh Brown a freshmen from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho said.
Brown began school this semester while still taking care of her 18-month old son. She decided to go to school in order to socialize and expand her knowledge. Balancing schooling, a child and working can be a challenge, but Brown and her husband Nathan have found a way succeed.
Brown works part-time as a Mary Kay beauty consultant, which helps to bring in money without having to spend a great deal of time away from her son.
As for schooling, the couple switches off days they care for their son, Seth. Ashleigh only has classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while Nathan attends classes Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. While this may work for some couples, others with children may have to find a different solution.
Shera Jennett, a junior from Cambridge, Idaho, is also trying to get to classes in between raising her five-month-old baby, Nathan. Accomplishing this is made more difficult because of her part-time job, but Jennett has devised a different strategy for caring for her baby. Jennett hires a sitter to come watch Nathan during her two four-hour blocks in which she studies and attends classes every day. It also helps that she is able to study while she’s at work.
Jennett feels lucky to have a well-mannered baby. Nathan sleeps through the nights, which doesn’t always happen when a baby is five months old. Though she didn’t take a break from school to care for her child, she has advice for future mothers.
“Every baby is different; get to know your baby before you decide anything big. If Nathan had been fussy I don’t think I would have been comfortable leaving him this long every day,” Jennett said.
It’s a little harder for Kristal Nagel, a junior and single mother from St. Anthony, Idaho, to balance work, raising her 18-month-old son and studying. Waking up early is part of Nagel’s daily schedule that helps her to go to classes, work, study and spend time with her son.
“I want to spend the most time I can with him everyday, but I also need to pay the bills,” Nagel said.
Making the step into parenthood will never be easy for everyone. However, it’s good to know some tips from those who have children.
“Take a parenting class—that has been the most help. [People] already naturally know a little about parenting, but it’s really good to hear about it [in a class setting],” Nagel said.
Nagel suggests parents take a parenting class when a child is young, ensuring that the parent will have a little experience with parenting. This allows for the couple to realize what they will need to know how to parent.
Debbie Abbot a senior from Rigby, Idaho, knows about parenting. With four children, the youngest being 12, Abbot has a lot of parenting experience.
In order to spend some time with her children, as well as attend school, Abbot will usually get up early, get herself ready then help her children get ready. She usually drives them to school each day and then heads to school herself.
Though she no longer has the challenge of finding a baby-sitter while she is away at classes, it is still hard to be away from her children for so long.
School is hard no matter what age one is, and when a child or children are added to the mix it makes life a little more complicated. However, with a little scheduling and a little less sleep, many mothers have found ways to make it work.
