It's not easy by any means!! So I commend you for pushing forward and making it work for you.
I'm not sure if you live on campus and your daughter lives with your family or if they just watch her while you have class, but either way, having that support system is great! One thing I'd like you to focus on is that while you might not be getting as much time as you like (because you are working to improve your future), your baby girl is getting lots of quality time with people who love and care for her. That's always a good thing, right?
One thing that always helped me was bringing my daughter with me to campus (if your school allows it). I don't mean bringing her to class (although I did that too), but to just walk around with her and be in that space where you know you are doing what's best for her. Introduce her to a professor or two...don't feel like you have to hide your two worlds. Being a student-parent is challenging, but take it one day at a time. Honestly, that's all you can do.
Continue to be supportive, in the things she does and says. Young girls need to know they matter - their voices matter, their desires matter, their opinions matter. Reinforcing that she deserves to take up space...that's 90% of the job right there.
Freelance writing pay varies widely from publication to publication. If you're writing for the Huffington Post, for example, your pay would be $0 per article (read: they don't pay). Other publications might pay you anywhere from $10 (yes, really) to $200 per article. Some are higher. Print tends to pay more (a magazine might pay you $1-$2 per word) but it's harder to get in the door. Harder, but not impossible.
It's important to focus on your bottom line. If it takes you two hours to write a post that's paying you $10, you're not going to be able to eat off that, no matter how you do the math. As you continue to write, you'll be able to command higher rates, but don't start yourself off too low.
My drive to succeed is really internal, but getting laid off 3 years ago showed me how precarious our financial situation could be if left up to someone else. No one else would/could care about my family's well being as well as I could. So I knew I had to make it a priority and grind hard to get my family to the point where we are debt-free, living within our means, and have enough in our savings to do what we want.
Can't tell you unless I look at your blog. Email me at tara@theyoungmommylife.com or shoot me a link to your blog on Twitter (@TheYoungMommy). I'll take a look and see what recommendations I have.
It seems unfair because it IS unfair. It is hard to see someone taking credit for being a good parent, when you are shouldering the brunt of the work and responsibility.
However, don't let it harden you. Your child will understand what's going on soon enough (if he/she doesn't already). You just focus on being the best parent you can be. Keep doing what you're doing.
I do hope to take them on the road! I'm taking my time putting this first event together so that I know what works best/how to structure them.
I didn't have the confidence either until I had no choice (i.e. got laid off). But knowing what I do now, I wish I had made the leap earlier. It definitely fits my lifestyle and the flexibility is great.
Make a plan. Think about what YOU really want to do. What do you want your life to look like? Is working at home a big part of that? If so, take small steps to get yourself there.
First, thank you!!!
I set out to create more welcoming spaces for young mothers after dealing with a lot of isolation in my first few years of motherhood. As a result, I didn't understand how common some of my issues were. I wanted to create a community of women who could talk to each other and get advice, because that's what I was lacking.
I think everyone is nervous about their baby's first time at daycare. I remember freaking out in the parking lot after I dropped my daughter off for the first time. And that evening, when I got back and she was happy and in one piece, it was the happiest I had ever been.
So I would say to make sure you are comfortable with the center. Know the staff and let them know you're a little nervous about it. They deal with nervous parents all the time and they know how difficult it can be. Some daycares will let you do a gradual entry, where your child will stay a couple of hours at first to see how they adapt (and it gives you time to adapt as well!).
In terms of finding the right center, ask around to see what other parents had to say. Most states also have a rating system that lets you know how the center ranks with regard to educational policies and you can search inspection reports online (usually at the department of job and family services website).
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I've been blogging since 2005, blogging at YML since 2008. I think it is much easier to launch a successful site today than it was five years ago because more people are online and there is an expectation of success. Many more tools to help you succeed.
From the very beginning, I approached YML as a virtual community. That meant that we had a diverse group of people who could come together and talk as sisters. No hostility, no name-calling, just a supportive circle of friends who understood each other. And that's what happened.
Not sure if you're a blogger or not, but if you're looking for advice, I'd say that you get more people to pay attention to you if you pay attention to other people. Help people solve their problems and they trust you.
