- I decided to go to college at age 40 while I was busy raising 5 children.
- My schedule was chaotic and the kids had to skip certain events because of my studies.
- Years later, I graduated and created the career I always wanted, and my children look up to me.
My college journey began at age 40 when I enrolled in a community college.
Not only did I start college later in life, but I was also doing so as a mother of five children ages 8 to 14. I decided it was time to start my studies again because I wanted to prove my father wrong. When I was young, he told me I wasn’t smart enough to go to college. I finally had the confidence to give it a try and majored in English and communications. I wanted to prove to myself and my children that I could do it.
As my school work intensified, my family obligations did not diminish. I was ultimately a student, but I was also a taxi driver, washerwoman, cook, teacher and religious educator. I drove my children to three different schools every morning.
With the help of my husband, this is how I graduated from college and raised my children.
My schedule has been chaos for years
Motherhood is a full-time job, but I had to find a way to fit my classes and school work into my week.
I quickly learned that classes were done more outside of class than in class, so I had to dedicate time to reading, studying, written assignments, and research papers. I included the children in my studies, sharing what I learned in class at dinner or leading them to activities. This helped me understand if I was explaining the material to someone else.
I didn’t realize that most colleges start classes before the start of the school year in the public school system, which only makes things more complicated. Plus, my spring break didn’t coincide with the kids’ school vacation either. I used a neighbor to keep the kids company while I was in class.
At first, I attended classes while my children were at school, praying that no one would get sick. Sometimes I had an evening class. Since my husband worked during the day, he stayed home in the evening. He took it upon himself to help the children in the evening.
For the schedule to work, one thing had to be removed: it was the kitchen. I only cooked when absolutely necessary, which was on the weekends. We warmed up during the week or bought pizza. Baking cookies and baking bread as a family was a thing of the past for us.
I also had to say no to some of the kids’ activities. Sports, scout events and religious functions disappeared. I just couldn’t accomplish everything.
I asked all my children to help me at home
From shopping to meal preparation, laundry and cleaning, everyone contributed, regardless of age. I had to let go of those standards of perfect maintenance and accept that my house wouldn’t be perfect for a few years.
Whenever I had to do something around the house, I would multitask. I recorded lecture notes on cassette tapes and listened to them while doing laundry or preparing meals. When the children grew tired of the recording, they left the room.
Grocery shopping became a family affair – done only when the cupboards were almost empty. Since I used the time the kids were at school to attend classes and work on group projects with my classmates, I had to go shopping when they were all home. This meant they accompanied me to the store; it was not easy.
I’m glad everything turned out well in the end.
As the children grew up before my eyes, I decided to continue my education after Community College. I received a prestigious scholarship and enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania.
After 10 years, I graduated in English. I now write for magazines and anthologies and teach writing workshops.
Looking back, I can see that my kids definitely looked up to me. They realized how hard I was trying not to let my academic studies interfere with my family responsibilities. They are grateful, especially now that three of them are parents. And I helped them all get in and excel in college.
I may have started college to help my children and prove my father wrong, but I ended up helping myself. I learned that college is worth it.
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