Deprecated: Creation of dynamic property Sassy_Social_Share_Public::$logo_color is deprecated in /home3/melankp4/public_html/wp-content/plugins/sassy-social-share/public/class-sassy-social-share-public.php on line 477

How I juggled motherhood and my studies during level 1 lockdown definitely took a lot of determination and planning. Covid 19 changed a lot of things in the world. As a result most people’s lives changed to accommodate what was going on in the world. It was quite a testing time for me and I had to be quick and think of how I was going to juggle motherhood and my studies. There is no magical way in which I did it but I just had to remind myself that I was doing a good job and that I won’t get it right everyday.

Set up a timetable for your school work and a separate one for your motherhood role

The first thing I did was to set up a zoom timetable for all the classes I was taking for each semester. I pasted my timetable on my wall so that I wouldn’t forget it. Mother’s have a lot on their plate not to mention full time mothers hence its easy for some things to slip your mind. I set reminders for test dates and other important dates I had to remember. I wrote a personal study timetable for myself.

I spent at least two hours every night studying the two modules that were in my timetable for that day. In order to attend my zoom classes, I would rock sometimes rock my daughter to sleep thirty minutes before the zoom lecture began. However, I couldn’t attend everyday. There were times where I wouldn’t attend my zoom classes. If I attended, I wouldn’t even hear what was being talked about in the lecture. This is the reality of online learning as a full time parent. When I started missing some of my zoom lectures I knew I had to get help. I used to ask my classmates to record lectures for me luckily for me, most lecturers would record the lectures and post them online.

Study when the baby is sleeping

I did most of my studying at night when my daughter slept. I would go through the days work and if there was a specific test to prepare for I’d prepare for that test. I found studying in the evenings to be very productive for me. In the evenings I’d make myself a cup of coffee to stay awake. It was so much better to focus at night since the house was quiet. I could process my thoughts, the knowledge I have studied and just take some time to think about life.

Juggling full time motherhood and school was the hardest thing I have ever done. There were nights where I would pass out without having read a single slide. At the time I used to beat myself up so much for that. Now I wish I was more kind to myself. I was just a mother who was exhausted from all the diaper changes and the feedings during the day to a point where I just couldn’t study at some nights. It is totally fine to feel overwhelmed and tired I also wish I didn’t beat myself up that much. I learnt that what had happened the day before was yesterday’s events and it shouldn’t determine what I do the day after.

Accept or seek help for your motherhood duties and your school work

No man is an island and we can’t do it all alone as much as we may want to. I accepted the help that was offered to me by people and I also looked for help. I would sometimes ask one of my class mates to explain a concept I was a struggling with. I did a lot of revision past papers to prepare myself for my exams. There is honestly no set way to cope and deal with balancing parenting and academics .Time management and a good timetable was a huge help for me in my journey.