Single Mothers Get
Education to Increase Their Welfare
The newest, oldest story in the book: Woman and man meet, gaze
lovingly into each other's eyes, decide they love each other and want to spend
the rest of their lives together! He works nights to make ends meet, she works
days. They get married or move in together, and a few times, protection is lax
or forgotten... One day, she wakes up and realizes she's carrying his child! At
first, everything is wonderful, he is pleased, she is happy, they are taking
care of each other and the baby. He convinces her to quit working so she can
take care of the baby, and he proceeds to work two jobs to make rent and all
the extra money they need.
The baby comes, but the dad had to pull an extra shift to make ends meet and misses it. He starts to think about how much he's missing out on and wonders if he's even an essential part of the family at this point. He starts spending more and more time with his friends instead of with his family. She sits at home, unable to think of what else she can do to get the father of her child to take interest in her once again. Everything had changed since the early years of their lives together. She puts on a brave face for her child (not THEIR child anymore, but hers) and decides she needs out of his life.
After trying to talk to him to no avail, one day, while he's away at work or at his friends or... she doesn't even know where he goes anymore, she calls her mother and begs to come back home.
Her mother has her misgivings - she disapproved of her daughter's choice to live with the man she was living with, and she disapproved of her daughter's choice to keep the baby, though she loved the child and loved to spoil her grandchild, she also disapproved of broken homes. She especially thought it was terrible of her daughter to not make it work out with her grandchild's father, but if she asked to live with her, she would let her live with her.
She didn't have much of an education. Only a highschool diploma and a single year at college completing pre-requisite classes. She didn't feel she could get an appropriate job. She grew more depressed. Eventually, she convinced her mom to take care of her baby at night while she got a night job. She couldn't afford daycare, and so was forced to work at night. However, her job payed barely more than 17K/year and it wasn't very fulfilling to run a cash register at a grocery store overnight. In fact, even though she was part of a union and got union benefits, her benefits didn't cover her tiny family, just her. As she worked, she saved a little bit at a time. She wasn't sure when she'd need it, and she could only put away about 20$ every month after the diapers and formula and baby clothes and everything else, but it was something!
If only I could get into school again, if I only had time! I could get a Nursing degree and take care of myself and my baby! But where would I get the money? Where would I get the time? If I have to stay home during the day to take care of my baby, and work at night, how can I find the time to study?
She explored her options. She had gone to a University, and she couldn't see bringing an infant child into a dorm room, and though there was a community college nearby that offered nursing classes, she couldn't imagine who would take care of the baby while she was away at class. She wasn't about to leave the baby alone in a crib for several hours a day!
One day while feeding the baby, she was surfing the internet looking for answers. "Come on Google, give me the good stuff," she murmured softly so as not to disturb the baby. Typing with one hand, she looked for nursing schools and found out about online courses. Amazed that there would be such a thing, she read more about it. she found out that online courses require her to sit at her computer for an hour or two per day and view online content provided by the instructor and school. They didn't seem to offer more or less than any other school she'd looked at, but the biggest advantage was that she could attend school and not leave her baby at home, and she could do her schoolwork whenever she had time in the day, which she could easily schedule as right after she woke up every afternoon.
At this point, she wondered whether or not she would be able to afford nursing school. She certainly didn't make enough at her job, but maybe there were grants and loans available for single mothers just like her. After a short look, she discovered that there were, indeed, grants available for single mothers.
The baby comes, but the dad had to pull an extra shift to make ends meet and misses it. He starts to think about how much he's missing out on and wonders if he's even an essential part of the family at this point. He starts spending more and more time with his friends instead of with his family. She sits at home, unable to think of what else she can do to get the father of her child to take interest in her once again. Everything had changed since the early years of their lives together. She puts on a brave face for her child (not THEIR child anymore, but hers) and decides she needs out of his life.
After trying to talk to him to no avail, one day, while he's away at work or at his friends or... she doesn't even know where he goes anymore, she calls her mother and begs to come back home.
Her mother has her misgivings - she disapproved of her daughter's choice to live with the man she was living with, and she disapproved of her daughter's choice to keep the baby, though she loved the child and loved to spoil her grandchild, she also disapproved of broken homes. She especially thought it was terrible of her daughter to not make it work out with her grandchild's father, but if she asked to live with her, she would let her live with her.
She didn't have much of an education. Only a highschool diploma and a single year at college completing pre-requisite classes. She didn't feel she could get an appropriate job. She grew more depressed. Eventually, she convinced her mom to take care of her baby at night while she got a night job. She couldn't afford daycare, and so was forced to work at night. However, her job payed barely more than 17K/year and it wasn't very fulfilling to run a cash register at a grocery store overnight. In fact, even though she was part of a union and got union benefits, her benefits didn't cover her tiny family, just her. As she worked, she saved a little bit at a time. She wasn't sure when she'd need it, and she could only put away about 20$ every month after the diapers and formula and baby clothes and everything else, but it was something!
If only I could get into school again, if I only had time! I could get a Nursing degree and take care of myself and my baby! But where would I get the money? Where would I get the time? If I have to stay home during the day to take care of my baby, and work at night, how can I find the time to study?
She explored her options. She had gone to a University, and she couldn't see bringing an infant child into a dorm room, and though there was a community college nearby that offered nursing classes, she couldn't imagine who would take care of the baby while she was away at class. She wasn't about to leave the baby alone in a crib for several hours a day!
One day while feeding the baby, she was surfing the internet looking for answers. "Come on Google, give me the good stuff," she murmured softly so as not to disturb the baby. Typing with one hand, she looked for nursing schools and found out about online courses. Amazed that there would be such a thing, she read more about it. she found out that online courses require her to sit at her computer for an hour or two per day and view online content provided by the instructor and school. They didn't seem to offer more or less than any other school she'd looked at, but the biggest advantage was that she could attend school and not leave her baby at home, and she could do her schoolwork whenever she had time in the day, which she could easily schedule as right after she woke up every afternoon.
At this point, she wondered whether or not she would be able to afford nursing school. She certainly didn't make enough at her job, but maybe there were grants and loans available for single mothers just like her. After a short look, she discovered that there were, indeed, grants available for single mothers.
No comments:
Post a Comment