Pencils, books and binders: check. Laptop, latte and lipstick: check! This checklist isn't for the kids, it's for the knowledge bound mother. When kids are in school and you've got some time on your hands, why not take something from their example and freshen up your mind in school? The benefits of learning something new or earning a degree are endless. With financial aid options, extensive class time choices and bountiful subject matter, going back to school may just be what the doctor ordered for the mother who wants to do a little something for herself.
Finding the Woman Behind the Mommy Title
Once a woman becomes a mom, priorities change, namely putting your children first instead of yourself. If you stay home, at least at first, your days are filled with diapers, feedings, and watching your little bundle of joy sleep while trying to get housework done and not go crazy from exhaustion. Working mothers go back and forth between two worlds and still tend to ignore themselves for a bit before they have a routine and are able to sleep enough to take care of themselves.
But after time passes, the desire to do a little something for herself creeps into the mother’s mind. It may be something simple like wanting to take just one bath alone, or it may be more like wanting to have more adult conversation. When the kids are old enough to go to school for a few hours a day, or when mom is ready to have some time in the evenings to herself, school is an option that women should look into as part of motherhood.
What to Study
There are many options and avenues to look into when considering going back to school. The subject of study, the interests that have been tucked away during the first months of motherhood, the lifelong dreams: all are a part of deciding to go back to school. Whether a returning student or a newcomer to the college world, a mother must decide to take time to better herself and allow herself to enter into the school world on a whole different level than parent teacher conferences and PTA meetings.
One thing that factors in to what subject one chooses to focus on is to look at the reason behind the pursuit of the degree. Will she be attending purely for the joy of learning, or is it more about wanting to earn a degree that will be a stepping stone to a high earning career. For the mother who is a returning student, will she earn her graduate degree in a subject that pertains to a prior degree, or will it be something completely different?
Making it Work
The choice of attending an online school versus the traditional classroom experience is also a key decision. Online school allows for a more flexible schedule and working from home, while the traditional college experience allows a mother to get out of the house and interact with fellow students face to face while promoting a more structured learning environment.
Class times vary depending on subject matter but there are often multiple options including morning, afternoon, and evening classes, along with some weekend schedules, which are a plus for mothers who are trying to juggle home, work, and private life. Colleges and universities cater to all different student types, so there is bound to be a class option and a subject matter that matches the mother’s desires.
Pros and Cons
The benefits of going to school during motherhood are plenty. First and foremost, the return to a world outside of parenthood is uplifting, refreshing, and beneficial to the entire family. Adult conversation provides stimulation that is critical to a mother’s sanity and ability to cope with the children’s world. The intellectual environment that occurs in a school setting not only boosts the brain halt of the mother but also sets the mother’s mind thinking in the same way as a student child. These benefits affect the mother, the child, and any other significant person in the family unit.
Despite the benefits, there are a few drawbacks that cannot be forgotten. A big part of college is homework. Homework takes up almost double the amount of time as in class time as well as a good amount of thinking and planning. Homework requires setting aside more time than some would want to focus on things other than the children once a mother steps out of the classroom. It is something that must be considered when deciding to take one class versus a full load.
Also, money can be a make it or break it topic. There are opportunities for financial aid to any who apply, but it is not guaranteed. The pursuit of a degree, especially a graduate degree, is very expensive. Books cost outlandish amounts of money, and tuition is ever rising. These are things to consider when determining which college to attend and how many classes to take.
Reflecting
Whether you decide to go back to school to take one class or pursue a degree, the benefits could exceed the drawbacks on many levels. A mother’s mental health is largely determined by how she is able to keep, or revive, a part of herself that exists outside of being a mother. Going to school could be the best thing, second to being a mother that she will look back upon with no regret.
Katherine Ward - Katherine Ward is a freelance writer living in Southern California and a graduate from CSUN with a B.A. in English-Creative Writing.
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