Juggling work and family obligations, especially parenthood, while attending Sinclair can be very challenging, according to Ashley Willinger, a Creative Writing major from Miamisburg.
“Having a baby while in school can be hard sometimes,” says Willinger. “It definitely takes coming up with a good schedule not only to fit you, but also your child.”
And it only gets more challenging as the child grows up.
“Things change as your baby goes through different stages,” Willinger says. “So schedules change and sometimes you have to start all over again and again to find a good balance.”
“My daughter was only about four months old when I started back to Sinclair, so at that stage it was easier to get things done, because babies sleep more at that stage. I was able to get papers written and reading done when she’d sleep at night or take naps. Now that she’s a toddler and able to walk, though, it’s harder. I’m lucky if she will take a nap on most days, so it takes more planning around her to get things done.”
The need to keep a child busy and entertained can also be a factor, says Willinger.
“My daughters is pretty much glued to me, whatever I’m doing, she feels like she has to be doing it too,” Willinger says. “Right now, for example, if I wanted to get reading done for a class, I have to provide her with her own books to look at so that she feels included in what I’m doing. Many times she’s fairly content with that, but there have been times when I’m reading and she comes up and rips the pages out of the textbook!”
The key to finding a balance, says Willinger, is planning… and lots of patience.
“It can take a lot of patience to find a balance sometimes,” Willinger says. “You really have to plan extra time to get things done with smaller children than someone without children or someone who has older children. You have to learn to go with the flow and allow for that to happen, or else you will get nothing done.”
Other family-related issues can also have an effect, according to Willinger.
“You really don’t juggle any of it, I don’t think, when it comes to family drama,” she says. “It’s more like you spend all day dodging bullets and trying to duck when the you-know-what hits the fan. Sometimes you come out without injury, and sometimes you get buried. You just have to keep going.”