My morning routine starts off like any other college student. I wake up, brush my hair and teeth, get dressed and pack my backpack. Though my routine may seem normal, and I fit the age qualification for a "traditional college student," I am not. My routine is a little different. After preparing myself for the day, my husband and I also have to prepare our three-year-old son for daycare.
As a mother, I have to learn the art of juggling. I juggle classes, studying, two part-time jobs, household chores and family time. Sometimes I have to make the decision on which comes first: studying or family. As you might guess, family is first priority. My husband and I alternate who gets to watch the baby on the weekends while the other is at work. He works mornings and I work evenings. Sometimes we are lucky to see each other for 15 minutes throughout the entire day. There are times where I don't even go to bed until 1 or 2 a.m. because I am up trying to get things done. A social life becomes almost impossible.
I know I'm not the only one living this type of busy on-the-run life. According to the Institute for Women's Policy Research website, nearly one-fourth of college students have children. Seventy-five percent of students fit the "traditional" college student role. What about the other 25 percent of us? Being a student and a parent at the same time is no piece of cake. Students who are parents "face significant barriers to postsecondary success, and institutions are ill-prepared to provide for their needs," according to the website. With that being the case, why is Southeastern not more child-friendly?  
According to the Washington Post, "Non-traditional students are at high risk for dropping out or taking far longer to graduate."
I can attest to this statement because it is going to take me six years to graduate versus the traditional four years. Granted, I changed my major a couple times too, but who hasn't?
Southeastern does not seem to have many programs available specifically to students that are parents. Sure, they have a Head Start/Early Head Start program, but there is normally a long waiting list because the program only has enough space for about 140 children. Only a small percent of applications received get accepted into the program. The recent budget cuts don't help matters, either.
Those of us who are brave enough to bring our children on campus either get strange looks from disapproving onlookers or smiles from those who think kids are cute. My experience bringing my son on campus has not always been positive. About a year ago, I remember sitting in Cayman Cafe for dinner with my family. We were enjoying the company of a few friends when all of a sudden we heard a girl from two tables away shriek, , I hate kids."  At that moment, anger built up inside of me like nothing else. That was my child she was talking about. Luckily though, my child, who is intelligent beyond his age, did not have the word "hate" in his vocabulary. I couldn't even imagine having to explain to my child why some random stranger hated him.
Through research, I have found that some college campuses offer a variety of family-orientated services. The University of Georgia offers family housing, while Portland State University offers hourly childcare where parents can drop their children off for a few hours so that they can study. Some colleges such as the University of California Berkeley offer specific student-parent programs.
I remember having a professor talk to me after class last semester. I wasn't doing well in his class, and he was worried. He asked me why I didn't study as much as I should. How do you tell a professor being a mommy takes priority over being a student? It is hard to be a part of that minority, because not everyone understands why I cannot allot x-amount of time each day to studying. As a parent, you have to manage your time wisely or you will find yourself lost.
With one-fourth of us on campus being parents, I do not understand why there isn't some sort of program designed specifically for students with children. After all, we are also trying to earn an education to better our families and ourselves. Some sort of outreach programs for student-parents to help other student-parents be successful academically would be amazing.