Single Parent starting Law School

[favor24]

I will be starting law school in the fall and while my parents will keep my 8 year old son during the first year- I definately want him to move with me the following summer.

Are there any single parents who are in law school- or finished with law school- who can tell me if balancing parenthood with law school can be successful.

[misssgina]

I'm glad somebody wrote on this topic. I thought I was the only one out there! I will start this fall (don't know where yet) part time.  I will have my son with me. He'll be 7.  Has anyone out there done this or know anyone who has??

[favor24]

I was talking to a friend of mine who is at the law school I will be attending in the fall and she told me that the editor of the Law Review this year is a single mother!! 

[misssgina]

Ok, so I just need to look harder for a peer support group. We are obviously out there.

[racheles05]

There's a parenting group at my school and there's probably one at yours. I'm finding that the only people who understand why it's stressful to be a parent in law school are other parents in law school. I live in grad housing and the other grad students don't understand why I'm too busy to attend every parent/child event.

I think the single most important thing that you need is reliable day care. I'm still struggling to find a reliable emergency sitter and I've been here since August.

[sunfunliving]

Hi, I am starting law school in the fall also. I am a single parent of six (though two are grown and out of the house already), but four live with me. I have a graduate degree already and have always been in school as a single parent. You can do it. You have to organized about your life and activities.

When I was a graduate student, I partnered with another single mom and we helped each other out.

My children know that when it is study time for mom that they need to leave me alone, unless it is an emergency.

Vera

[misssgina]

I have only one child (6) who is used to being around me all of the time. Does anyone have suggestions on making the transition? I'll probably be in class at least four nights a week (and that's after working all day). 

[sunfunliving]

Wow Gina...that is a lot!

Is there any way to look at the schedule of the classes? I know that I am still debating if I should quit my job and survive on student loans with my kids...and go to school full time or to keep working and going to school at night.

The school that I will be attending has night classes and when I spoke with people they mentioned that they had class four nights per week...but when I looked at the actual schedule...you can go two nights from 4-8:45 or you may end up four nights, but you would have two days where you go from 6:30-8:45 and two other days where you go from 6-7:15....so it is not really "all night".

Do you know what I mean?

In going to school, I have had my kids be my best cheerleaders. You have to make sure that you set aside a special time for your child that will NOT be taken up with studies and that is his/her special time with mommie. That worked for me.

Vera

[favor24]

I made the decision to attempt to live off of my scholarship money and a loan.  My goal is to treat law school as my new full time job- that way I will still have that other time to spend with my son.  We spend a lot of time together and I don't think either of us would do to good with me working all day and going to school all night.  It does help that he is cheering me on to get this degree and he is old enough to understand that it is going to take a lot of work on my part. 

I think that it is an excellent idea to form a sort of support group with other single parents (or parents in general).  During my first year when he will be still living with my parents I hope to get a grasp on what support I do have around me: school, daycare, friends.  It also helps that I am going back to the town I did my undergrad studies in and have friends that are still there-including my cousin.

I think going back to school is definately going to require some time management, as mentioned earlier.  But the sacrifices are going to be worth the rewards for our children in the long run.

[leeshybd]

I'm not even a single parent and I am nervous about starting school this fall.

i don't know how you all do it.  Kudos!