College Pressures

I really enjoyed reading William Zinnser's "College Pressures." It brought a smile to my face to read his observations of students and their behavior. As a non-traditional student, I have encountered a different set of obstacles than most students. I have walked in the shoes of the younger students before. Several years ago I mainly faced parental pressures. As described in "College Pressures" my parents paid for my schooling and I, in turn, had certain expectations to meet. I did not have direction and was not sure of what I wanted to do. I dropped out of school because I was weary of wasting my time and my parent's money.

Fast forward to modern day. I am married with four children and my own bills to pay. I am not only expected to be a good student, but also a wife, a mother, a daughter, a teacher, a cook, a maid, a taxi driver, a financial bookkeeper, and the list goes on. There is much pressure on women of my age (30) to be everything to everyone and to do a perfect job maintaining a perfect balance. In my situation, the mommy club looks down on me for striving to improve my education and do something good for myself. After all, my world should only revolve around my children. On the other hand, I do not quite fit in with the successful women club either because I decided to stay home with my young children for so long instead of accomplishing a career. 

I also face challenges with my six-year-old, who has autism. He receives therapy for speech, motor skills, and social skills. Some days are really good and some days are bad and all he needs is for me to hold him and try to understand what he is feeling. On those bad days, there is not much schoolwork that gets done as his behaviors exhaust both of us. I found a paper he colored for me at school yesterday. It was me and him with his arms stretched out hugging me. Below, he wrote, "I love my mom." Those are the sweet moments I hold dear.

I welcome challenges because they help me grow and appreciate the areas in which I have succeeded and failed. The older I become, the less I am worried about change. Change is one of the only constants life offers. It helps us to gain wisdom as we adapt to new experiences.

The way I try to alleviate my college pressures is to stay ahead in assignments so that if something arises, I can be prepared to deal with it instead of stressing because I have a project due. I also maintain a positive attitude always so that I do not defeat myself.