Thinking Of Going Back To School? How To Balance Education And Parenting

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Let’s face it, the job market can be very difficult and full of stiff competition. Because of this, a college degree can be very important to career success. When a person does not have a college degree, it can lead to lower paying, dead end jobs that just do not satisfy us. If not having a college degree is holding you back from obtaining the type of employment that leads to more personal and financial satisfaction, you may want to consider heading back to school. Although it can be difficult to balance the demands of your family with the demands of schoolwork, the following tips will help you handle your family responsibilities while obtaining a valuable college education.

1. Make A Schedule

Setting a schedule that properly balances your schoolwork and family life is one of the first things you must do when deciding to go back to school. If you have school-aged children, try to schedule your classes while your kids are in school. If you are responsible for young children, make sure you set your class schedule around times you can easily find a babysitter. You can also save homework time for when your kids go to bed. This way you can still have evening family time.

2. Don’t Overdo It

Obtaining a college education while raising a family can be a lot of hard work. Because of this, you will want to make sure that you do not overextend yourself. Make sure that even though your schedule is busy with school and family responsibilities, you will still need to set aside time for relaxation so that you do not get stressed out. If you overdo it with parenting and schooling without taking daily breaks, one or both may suffer neglect.

3. Talk To Your Children

Before heading back to school, you’ll want to sit down and have a conversation with your kids. During this conversation, explain to your kids how your college education can have a positive influence on the entire family. When you explain why you are going back to school, your kids will be more understanding about the situation. Also, schoolwork may take time away from things like cooking and cleaning the house, and you will need to explain to your kids why it’s important that they help out more with housework.

4. Keep Lines Of Communication Open

When balancing kids and college, it is important that your children know they can always talk to you. If you or your kids do not have a cell phone, make sure you all have one while your attending school. A cell phone will make it easy for you to keep in touch with your kids no matter where any of you are. Make sure your children are fully aware that the lines of communication are always open if they should have a problem.

While it may seem difficult to be a college student while balancing the demands of family life, it can be easily accomplished by following the above four listed tips. In order to remain valuable in the workforce of today, it is important to have a college education. If you have a family and you would like to have the type of job security that comes from having a college education, know that is is possible and easy to balance both school and family life.

Jennifer Alvarez writes about parenting, education and more. Her proudest piece is on the Top 10 Best Online Bachelor’s in Accounting Programs.

3 Comments

  1. I’ve been wanting to finish one of my degrees, great tips.

  2. These are really great tips! Going to college is hard enough but even harder when you’re a parent too.

  3. I always want to learn more, and am considering a new trade when my kids are older so will be heading back to school myself.

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