Raising Your Teenager vs Returning to School

This is a question I often see asked by women, especially single mothers.

Should you continue to be a stay at home mom or a struggling working mom on a low salary when your child reaches his or her teenage years?

Or should this be the time that you decide to make a big change in your life?

A change that could lead to bigger and better things in future; for both you and your family.

That change of course, is the consideration of whether you should go back to school. The difficulties of doing that are well known – money and time are the most common hurdles that stop a lot of mothers like you from making this decision.

But the benefits can be huge. Higher qualifications, and the prospect of a new or more advance career and a higher salary.

Unlike when your kids are very young, once they hit their teens their independence begins to increase rapidly. While a 13 year old would certainly still need mom around as often as possible, if your youngest child is now in their mid-late teens, and you are struggling financially or you have ambitions to get back into school to further your qualifications, then this is the time that you probably feel that you want to give the option some serious thought.

After all, as each year goes on you will likely find it more difficult to go back to school and change careers.

As they say, now is as good a time as ever to get started.

Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.
– Francis of Assisi

Even if you feel that going back to school is impossible, remember that these are only your thoughts.

Once you change the way you think, you will be amazed at what suddenly becomes possible.

Don’t let negative thoughts hold you back from going after your goals and dreams.

Once your child matures into a young adult, it’s time to start focusing on you again. For many single moms, that means taking a good look at career, financial and life circumstances and often coming to the conclusion that heading back to school as an adult is not only possible, but a huge opportunity to open new doors for the rest of your life.

Thousands of struggling moms like you make the decision to go back to college or university every year. They seek out scholarships and grants to get financial assistance with studies, and they apply for the Federal Pell Grant which provides a great help in covering some of your tuition expenses.