Time management and work ethic- my secret to success. Without these two factors, surviving life as both a mother and student would be nearly impossible. Two years ago, when I first found out I was pregnant, my life flipped upside down. I knew it would be difficult learning to care for a newborn baby while staying up to date in all of my classes, but if I managed my time wisely and worked myself to my full potential, it would be possible. Never once have I questioned if staying in school was right for my new family. Many mornings when I drop my daughter, Cali, off at my boyfriend’s mom’s house, I have to leave for school while she is crying reaching for me to hold her. It is the worst feeling to have to leave my daughter when she only wants to be close to her mom. As difficult as it is, if I were to sacrifice my education to stay home, I would only be cheating Cali out of the wonderful life I plan to give her. Balancing my hectic life has been a huge learning process, but as I continue to reach for my goals, life continues to be more enjoyable than ever.
When Cali was first born, life could not have been any better. I was blessed with the most beautiful baby in the entire world. Unfortunately, my schedule heavily changed once my parents separated when Cali was only five months old. My boyfriend, our daughter, and I moved in with my dad who strives to give my family the best life possible. The support from my parents did not change. However, my daily responsibilities greatly increased.
Because my dad works into the evenings, I took over most responsibilities my mom used to take care of. Throughout the week I do my best to keep the laundry done, make sure the house is clean, and have dinner finished before too late. Thankfully, my boyfriend, Chris, is a wonderful dad and helps out with Cali while I finish these things.Managing my time in order to take care of all of my daily tasks has been the key to balancing my life.
The past year has been the most difficult since Cali has been born. Everyday I find time to cook dinner, clean up the dinner mess, do any shopping for the house, give Cali a bath, and play with Cali with the time in between. It can be very difficult to push myself to finish everything I need to. I find it much easier to lay down with Cali and fall asleep when she does. However, I must push myself to get up and finish everything on my to-do list.
Alongside my household responsibilities, finishing all of my homework is one of my top priorities. Chris and I sometimes take turns doing homework and playing with Cali. That can become difficult and we find it easier to get our homework done once Cali falls asleep. This year, I decided not to take any AP classes in hopes of a lighter schedule. However, Chris has two AP classes so he is usually awake much later than I am. When we are lucky, my dad is home early enough to play with Cali while we finish some homework before too late. Managing our time throughout the day has been much easier now that we have a solid schedule. If we didn’t manage our time wisely, we would feel a much bigger load of unnecessary stress.
Motherhood is a continuous learning process. That includes learning the best way to manage my time while enjoying the little moments of parenthood. I have been blessed with the perfect family and the perfect life. I may feel stressed out sometimes when my schedule gets heavy, but when I look into Cali’s big, brown eyes and see her beautiful smile, I find motivation to keep going and never give up on the goals I have planned out.
