Attending an intense college program and being a successful student is a difficult in itself, but add in parenting and you have a whole new ball of wax!!  As all parents know, parenting is no picnic; late nights with sick kids, getting everyone to activities and school on time, lunches, daycare, ballet, soccer, skinned knees and elbows and making sure they get enough mom or dad time. Parenting is a full time job.  Some of our students take it all in stride.  Careful time management, scheduled study times, planning ahead, and keeping the end goal in mind are some of the things parents at OV have told us. Putting a good support system in place before attending college takes some of the stress out of returning to school, and talking about it to older children in advance helps.  Let your classmates know you have parenting in the background, and they tend to become part of your support system; collecting class notes, or setting up study dates at unusual times to suit your schedule, even coming over to your house to study so you can get you kids to bed.  Connect with other parents for advice and support. You are not alone!

At OV we recognize the challenges of parenting and study, some of us have lived it!  I haven’t been Executive Director at OV forever. Not that long ago I was also a massage therapy student and parent at the same time. I remember what my daughter said to me on graduation day; “Now I know that I can be anything that I want to be too Mom!” Best reward ever!! So don’t give up, remember that your children learn not only from watching you succeed, but also from watching you strive to achieve your goal  even when it’s difficult.  - RP