Overcoming the fear of failure to realize single mom success
November 27, 2012
There are major concerns that single moms with college scholarships will face in deciding to go back to school in the first place. Guilt, anxiety and other negative emotions could occlude their ability to succeed, as their minds won't be focused on learning and getting good grades.
In order to overcome these issues, single moms need to acknowledge these concerns and deal with them before they can get out of hand. Handling each of these problems as it arises as early in the school year as possible can make sure that this never becomes a hardship in terms of coping with school stress.
Leaving children alone
Some moms may feel like going off to school every day is too much abandonment for their family to deal with. After getting through the stress of a divorce or simply trying to deal with raising a child alone, a young one may not understand that Mom needs to be away more than ever, especially if she's already working the rest of the time.
Being up front with kids can help smooth the transition. It's also important to remember that much of the university and high education process is something that moms are doing for their families, so rather than seeing it as a guilty indulgence, it should be viewed as an additional self-sacrifice.
Getting back into the swing
A common fear many single moms with college scholarships share is that they won't be able to get along in a school environment, especially dealing with students who may be much younger than them or connect to their life experiences. Circle Of Moms wrote that getting in touch with the rest of the world can be hard, and having been through a rough relationship period could also make things more difficult.
Remembering that most young people are out of their league in college can help get over that anxiety. The majority of incoming freshmen have never been away from home before, and they will be looking to make friends and new connections, so it's actually one of the best opportunities for getting back into the social circuit.
Managing finances
One of the biggest concerns single moms with college scholarships have is also how they're going to keep the family afloat. Reduced hours at work and balancing the extra expense of school can make finances feel unfeasible. Jewish Journal advised single moms to keep in mind that there are plenty of helpful public funding options available to help out with the process, in case they find they can't balance budgets otherwise.
