....have a hard time mixing. Maybe the fact that I have been at school for five years straight, but whatever the reason, my child is turning very resentful. I will not lie, the student is not the only one to sacrafice in order for someone to attend law school. Inevitably the child of a law student does as well.
1. Time is at a premuim. What do I mean by this? While I spend quality time with my child, we do not get as much reading time, fun time, time away as I would like. My child often hears, "not right now sweetie, mommy is reading." Children do not understand this sentence and sooner or later become very angry with it.
2. Play dates are rare. I have tried really hard to allow my child to have play dates with her friends, but it has not been as great as I would like. I live out in the country, so it is not like she can just run outside and play with her friends. It does not work this way. I have to plan for this and honestly, I don't have that much time.
3. Money is tight. And my daughter attends a school in an afluent neighborhood. Sometimes she doesn't have the clothes/things that other kids at her school do. That rankles with her. I realize this is superficial, but honestly, it's hard to explain this to a child.
4. Focus is slim. My brain is worn out at the end of the day and it is all I have in me to remember getting my own things together, let alone a childs. This means forgotten assignments, notes home, and so on. I hate it. I wish I could find a more efficient system, but so far, nada.
5. No permenant home. I am living with my parents because of budget issues, but also so that they can help me with my daughter. However, my child really craves the normal neighborhood experience with the bicycles, friends and pets. I feel terribly guilty about this, but there is not much I can really do about it.
There are many more things that are incompatible. But there are pluses too. My daughter is learning the value of education, first hand. I am also modeling to her what a strong, intelligent woman is. Charactoristics I hope and pray my daughter has someday. So there are tradeoffs.
I agree, law school with kids is hard. It seems sometimes that we miss out a lot on what is going on in their lives. We just need to remember that it is for them that we stay up all night working on the brief. It is for them that we wake up early to get the last 15 pages read. It will all be worth it the end.
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