Our lives are not simple. We are doing more, learning more, choosing what works best for us, not society. It was a pleasure to be asked to talk about how stress, transitions, and being a parent affects how we respond to our children and our lives. Simone Gavros, a reporter for the Eyeopener at Ryerson University wrote a wonderful and insightful piece on how the students of Ryerson have coped through the pandemic. The students she is referring to are not only juggling school, but they are also parents and many of them have to continue to work as well,
“I chose to go back to school,” Crockford says. “It’s not like I didn’t know I had kids before applying. Part of that is knowing the reality of how much work as a parent you’re going to have to put in and how you’re going to have to manage it all.”
As busy as her days may get, Crockford makes it a priority to allow herself one day of rest on the weekend, which she says isn’t always easy to give herself permission to do.
Normalizing the overwhelm and stress
Support systems, locating resources, and diligent planning goes a long way, according to parenting coach and author Michelle McVittie.
Any kind of change that disrupts the status quo will not only affect parents but also children, who generally tend to not be a fan of change, even if it’s a positive one that benefits the family household, she says. This goes for any kind of shift, whether it’s a new job or, in this case, school since people are creatures of habit.
“Mothers are especially hard on themselves and they really just try to do it all,” says McVittie. “To ask for help is a really big step forward and so important because a lot of us tend to not want to lean on people because we don’t want to be a burden.”
Read the rest of the article here: Students with children doing the ultimate juggling act: parenthood, school and work – The Eyeopener
It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it!
The touching part of this article is the hope we see in the stories. The passion behind wanting to do more, to reach for the stars. What amazing role modeling these parents are doing for their children.
