Baby – Bottle Service

Me on Instagram: Made cupcakes w the kids, love them so much. Me for real: YOU’RE GETTING EGGSHELLS IN THE BATTER JESUS CHRIST LET ME DO IT
Vampire Valerie

**PSA: THIS IS BY NO MEANS ENCOURAGING COLLEGE STUDENTS TO GET PREGNANT. THIS IS JUST AN ATTEMPT AT OPTIMISM FOR THOSE THAT HAPPEN TO BE IN THIS SITUATION.

So you’re in college and you’re having a baby.

Bottle service, VIP booths, sweaty dancing, nights drinking Monster in the library–they’re all gone. It’s now evenings at home, watching TV really quietly, and enjoying your child-free hour before bed.

Having a kid while you’re of traditional college age, or in college at any age, isn’t ideal. You have other commitments and responsibilities, and the general consensus is that you should probably wait to reproduce until after graduation.

But if this isn’t your reality, and you’ve come to terms with your decision to have a kid, then congrats! Here are some perks to having a child while in college:

It May Benefit Your Career

Providing you graduate from college despite your bundle of joy, you can kick start your career with the whole “having a kid” thing out of the way.

Many college graduates land their dream job at age 26/27, and then quit or take significant time off said job only a few years later, when maternity and paternity leave takes precedence to their work.

If you’ve already taken your leave before you even start your career, then it definitely won’t get in the way. And, sure, you’ll have to leave early or avoid working late to accommodate your child’s schedule–but your boss will know this before they hire you and you won’t have to pause your career in the near future.

If You’re of Traditional College Age: You’ll Have More Energy and Be a Younger Empty Nester

If you’re having a baby at 21/22/23/24 years of age, then you’ll have more energy than you will in your 30s. This is by no means a reason to have a child this young, but it’s definitely a perk if you so happen to be in this situation.

Toddlers are exhausting. They run everywhere and they keep you up all night. So if dancing and cramming your days away is second nature already, then this may benefit you.

Likewise, if you have a baby at 22, then by 40, you will be an empty-nester. This means you will be young and active enough to enjoy life after your children leave home. You will have another lifetime to enjoy your grandchildren, and (maybe, hopefully) early retirement.

It May Motivate You

This is a highly subjective benefit, but a potential perk nonetheless.

For some college students, wondering aimlessly through their general ed with no purpose and no direction, having a kid may be motivating.

When you have a new human to pay for, paying for random college credits may no longer seems as enticing. You have to knuckle down, do well, and graduate as fast as possible. This may be the incentive you need.

A Few Perks and a LOT Of Challenges

Swapping out formula bottle service for champagne on ice (this is a thing now?) is not easy. You should take whatever precautions you can to avoid that.

But if you’ve made a decision, and you’re met with constant negativity, there is no shame in looking on the bright side. For what it’s worth, champagne on the rocks is not good. Not at all. So you’re not missing out on much.

“So I stepped away for like two seconds…” the beginning of a parenting horror story
Rookie Moms

There are some things in life that don’t mix too well. Oil and water, OJ and toothpaste, and babies and finals.

Your whole semester hangs in the balance. Maybe graduating is even at stake. And the last thing you want to think about is how to study and perform well with a baby at your hip.

This isn’t an impossible task, but it does make final exams a little more stressful than they already are. In order to manage the stress a little better, there are three important things to consider beforehand: finding childcare, organizing your study time, and giving yourself an opportunity to decompress.

Childcare

Unfortunately, it’s highly unlikely that you will be able to complete your exams without childcare. Even if you’re studying online, the stress of having to tend to your screaming child in the middle of a timed test is almost unbearable.

Childcare could be provided by your partner, a family member, a friend, or even a paid sitter who can watch your baby in the living room for an hour two. Ideally, you should try to organize childcare a few weeks before your exams, so you can dedicate your free time to studying.

Organizing your study time

When time is in short supply, it becomes all the more critical that you organize it wisely. You should aim to devise a weekly schedule that dedicates reasonable portions of your day to each class.

You may consider working around bedtimes and nap times. For example, if your baby is on 1, 2 hour nap per day — then this may be the perfect opportunity for you to do reading and studying that requires you to be alert. Later in the day, after your kid goes to bed, may be the quiet time you need to work on final papers.

Giving yourself a break

Studying is stressful. Babies are stressful. Combining the two can cause what may seem like an insurmountable amount of tension and worry. It is, therefore, imperative that you give yourself time to decompress.

Good luck!

Tag: Baby

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