Key Takeaways
Common challenges
- Delays on program progress encountered due to COVID-19
- Challenges of family separation
- Food and languages – new habits, Canadian style food, kids and parents learning English
- Challenge of feeling like you aren’t ‘succeeding’ at EVERYTHING. Feeling of a need to compromise (either parenting/or school), how to be patient with self and child
- Less flexibility with kids compared to without kids
- Studying with kids is hard (but also motivating)
Strategies
- Do not compare yourself or your situation with other students.
- Learn to let go of perfectionist ideals.
- Explaining your situation to supervisor/professors, has been helpful and supportive (eg., have to pick up kid from school).
- Have to study at night and childcare during daytime.
- Ease expectations on yourself – time limits, grades must be balanced with mental health.
- Need to set very realistic goals for your self – list of tasks may be smaller, but try to hone in, to be as focussed as possible.
- Two children made it much busier in COVID times – you don’t have the same amount of flexibility that you had before children.
- Need to be organized and efficient with your time.
- Village approach – who is your village? Chat groups, friends for support.
- If appropriate, multitask, such as:
- attempt to organize calls close together, during times you can take a walk,
- folding laundry during online seminars.
- Be open to accepting what others have to offer, getting things second-hand, accept things people are willing to pass along (and pass along to others, too, when you are done).
Resources
McMaster SGS Parenting Leave
- Policy (Grad Calendar Section 2.5.7 Leaves of Absence)
- Parenting Grant
Family Programs
- Hamilton Public Libraries (free craft programs, filter programs by age of kids, branch location)
- City of Hamilton Recreation Programs (swimming, crafts, sports and recreation)
- EarlyON Child & Family Centres (parenting classes with child-minding, snacks, programming)
- YMCA of Hamilton (camps, childcare programs, heath & fitness)
- Ron Joyce Children’s Health Resource Centre (via referral from your family doctor)
Budgeting
Sources of affordable children’s items
- Buy Nothing Project (facebook group; find the one for your neighbourhood)
- Once Upon a Child
Groceries
- Nation’s Grocery Store (downtown Hamilton)
- Fiddes Wholesale Produce