Kids-Part time/full time

[Juliebulie]

Hello, first post....
Anyways, I'm trying to decide whether to go full or part time.  I have two kids, 5 and 2.  For those of you with younger children, what's your plan?  Any suggestions or advice?  Thanks!

[AMS]

First post for me too. I can't speak from direct experience, but I'm having a baby in early November (starting 1L in August), so I switched to part-time after being accepted full-time. I talked to a few other women I know that had kids while they were in law school, and they all recommended doing it that way if possible. I'll probably revisit it after the first year to see if I want to transfer back into full-time.

[phooey]

I have a three year old and I'm going full-time days, just like a job.  My kiddo starts daycare at the end of this month.  I'm starting her early just in case she needs some extra time to get used to her new life before the real hustle and bustle starts.

I'm ready and I think she's ready too.  She's reached that age where she's starting to get bored hanging at home with mom- she needs a little more and so do I.

[| J |]

I have a three year old and I'm going full-time days, just like a job.  My kiddo starts daycare at the end of this month.  I'm starting her early just in case she needs some extra time to get used to her new life before the real hustle and bustle starts.

I'm ready and I think she's ready too.  She's reached that age where she's starting to get bored hanging at home with mom- she needs a little more and so do I.

Same here.  I have a 1 yr old, and a 3 year old.  I'm also approaching law school like a job, with crappy hours.  My daughter is definitely ready for school, so I'm hoping our unemployed and broke status will allow us to get her into a decent pre-school.

[phooey]

I ended up going with the child care center at the local community college-spaces in community college child care programs are highly sought after in my area; we got lucky and got a spot after only a month of waiting. 
The tuition is actually reasonable and the program is high-quality with a nice child-to-teacher ratio and student interns galore.  If you have a community college in your area you should check it out.  First priority always goes to students, but they open to the community after that.

I feel really good about her going there.  She's going to have a good time.  I can't believe you have a one year old and a three year old!  I bet you sleep very well at night.  I would be passed out at 7:30.

[jvan2619]

I have a 10 month old and will be starting in the fall FT.  I also thought about the PT option.  My daughter is in daycare now and has the best time there   Hopefully she will have an equally good place in our new city.  I (like you all) hope to treat it like I do my current job and still have time for her at night and the weekends.  If all works out, we would like to have four children so I'll probably be having another one (or two!) while in school which is a big reason why the PT option is so important to me.  I had a really tough first trimester with #1.

Congrats AMS on your approaching delivery   Anyone else planning on having a child while in school?

[upNdown]

I have a 3 year old and a 5 month old.  I decided not to work and to go to school full time.  If I can fit it in, I'll try to work a few hours too, but the decision was made because I knew if I tried to work full time and go to school part time and study, I'd never have any time for my kids.  I'd rather sink a bit deeper in debt and be able to give school and my kids more attention.  My wife will be a stay at home mom and work part time evenings, so we'll pretty much be living on borrowed money for 3 years. 

[| J |]

Anyone here planning on applying for any sort of social service assistance while in LS?  I'm hoping to get some sort of assistance for daycare, since my wife will still be a full-time student when I start LS.

[Danni]

Hey y'all, I have a 5 year old who is nearly done with K, and a just turned 3 year old in preschool. This fall I'll be FT days at a state school 45 minutes from home, working 20 hours a week at the group home where I work full time now, and being the tired mommy to the kids.

My plan is to budget my time well. I've noticed during school visits that a lot of the "study time" people report as absolutely vital, is spent decompressing and relaxing. I'm planning to use my library/study time after classes to REALLY study. I'll decompress at home with the kids.

Also, I've seen loads of students internet surfing during lectures. I plan to stay really focused on outlining and keeping caught up so I don't run into cram issues later.

Finally, I plan to ask for help from family and friends when I need it. I'm spending this spring and summer doing favors and helping others so that I can build up good karma and reciprocity during the school year. I recognize I'm no superwoman, and can't do it all alone. By relying on my village to help me take care of my family, we'll all make it through the next 3 years.

Oh, and I've spoken to my daughter's teacher for next year and worked out some ways to volunteer for her class that won't conflict with school, and my son's preschool  (a fulltime center) is cool with the same deal.

I only wish I could get some social service help. Although to be honest, I haven't looked into it at all. Maybe this fall once I start at school I can meet with the FA people and ask their advice.

Danni

[Juliebulie]

I'm finding this so descision so difficult.  I spoke with the advisor at my school.  Although she did reccommend full time, she also said to expect a 48 hour commitement with part time and 68 with full time.  I don't know if I am ready for 68 hours away from my kids,(It's really not possible for me to study at home with them).  My husband is very supportive, but I am not sure he's prepared for how much full time would mean.  I'm also concerned about maintaining my scholarship, I need to maintain a specified rank to continue to recieve it every year.  Having said all of this three years sounds so much better than four!!