Single Mom and Going Back to School
Single Mom and Going Back To School I am in my mid-thirties and going back to school. I would have to say that my children are the primary reason behind this decision. I am their role model and teacher and I intend to be the best one possible. I want to show my children the endless possibilities of hard honest work. I want to send them to college and live comfortably. Throughout my personal experience, I have learned that anything is possible even while I am balancing a family, multi jobs and school. Once I left high school in 1992, I attended the Sawyer School for Business.
With class to finish, I found out that I was pregnant and having problems. Because of my pregnancy problems, I had to leave school. I didn’t graduate because I was not able to complete that one class. After, that I had no motivation to go back to school; a decision I always regretted. A few years later, I got married and had a beautiful baby girl named Dominique. Now, she is eighteen and graduated high school. I got divorced and went from working at a factory making curtains to being a security guard at the Convention center in Providence.
At this time of my life, I thought to myself, “I could afford to go back and my kids need me”. Then, I met my boyfriend and two and a half years later, I was pregnant with my second daughter Selena; and she is now twelve and in the sixth grade in middle school. After having Selena, I went from driving a school bus to being a police dispatcher for the Bristol Police Department. After working there for two years, I thought to myself, “I can’t work the third shift and working as a police dispatcher was a very stressful job”.
So, I applied at the main office for the school department to become a secretary, although they were only hiring a sub-secretary. I immediately took the job; I wasn’t even considering school. Then, a few months passed and I was pregnant again with a beautiful baby boy named Dennis. Dennis is now six years old and in kindergarten. When he was born, I really did not have a job in mind, so I decided to start my own business by cleaning houses. This was the perfect job for me at the time because having a newborn, a six year old, and a twelve year old was a lot of work.
It was very convenient for me to start house cleaning because I chose my hours. I was working two to three hours a day and was still available for my kids. At this point of my life that I still couldn’t go back to school. One day, I decided to apply for a job on the third shift because I needed the extra money and it would be convenient for my kids and I. Working at Atria in Portsmouth required me to tend to elderly people. The most important thing to me is caring for the residence.
I enjoyed working there so much and it made me think that I could go back to school to become a CNA, or even become a nurse. During the summer of 2012, I thought, “What am I doing with my life? ” I was cleaning houses and taking care of the elderly. I suddenly realized that my girls were older and my son was in kindergarten; it’s the perfect opportunity for me to accomplish my dream. So, I figured out my schedule so I would have plenty of time for work, school and my two youngest children.
Finally, I thought to myself that I can go to school, get a degree, and maybe take my kids on vacation. Advice from one single mom to another single mom anything is possible if you have the heart and mind set. First, you need to decide what you want to do for a career. Second, find out where you can get help financially. Third, find a safe place for your children. Therefore, I know it makes me feel good that I am showing my kids that anything is possible if you put your heart and mind into it.
