Well I am a single mother of a 12 yr old and a 6 yr old! My boyfriend supports me but he lives an hr away so we only see each other on the weekends! No family support at all! So your lucky on that part! It will fall into place! I have been volunteering pretty much every night in my town for our ambulance to keep it in service for the past 1 1/2 years! Good experience though! My oldest watches my youngest if I get called out which is nice but while i'm at school or doing clinical I have a hard time to get them from point A to point B without totally messing up my 12 yr old life! You know volleyball/basketball practices and so on! Their dad helps sometimes but can't count on him! My kids are supportive and worries about me when my pager goes off on certain calls but we talk about how my safety is #1 and that fire and police are always there if needed! I wouldn't say my girls resent me for the holidays and long hours and not being able to leave town while on call but I do think they get annoyed! But, they know mommy is out saving lives and deal with it! My girls look up to me for going back to school and on some nights we do our homework together and it shows both of them they need math and those english skills in real life and to study hard to get them now rather then at 31! LOL! Hope this helps! Communication with everyone is always GOOD!!! Keep the line open!!!
I was wondering how the mothers (or fathers) in here handle the demands of work / school / and having a family? I have a few questions to ask.
How old were your kids when you started your EMS career?
Did it get easier as they got older?
How supportive is your significant other? Are they in EMS?
Do your children hold any resentment towards your long hours / missed holidays or do they understand / think it's cool?
I know it will all fall into place. But I will not close my eyes to the fact that it will probably be a rocky start. My kids have had me home for the last year and a half, my husband being the sole provider for the family now. Prior to that, I worked in a 9-5 office job M-F. I was close to their schools, and my boss had no problems when I had to leave for something important. I have a great family unit that can and will step in for me to help with the kids when the time comes. I am hoping that I am doing this at a better time in my life. One child is soon to be 13, the other 10. I will have teenagers by the time I am done with all my schooling. I just wanted to hear how others do it. I know its possible. They will be out of the house (crossing fingers) and starting their paths as I am getting into my prime in EMS. On paper, it seems perfect...lol
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Well I am a single mother of a 12 yr old and a 6 yr old! My boyfriend supports me but he lives an hr away so we only see each other on the weekends! No family support at all! So your lucky on that part! It will fall into place! I have been volunteering pretty much every night in my town for our ambulance to keep it in service for the past 1 1/2 years! Good experience though! My oldest watches my youngest if I get called out which is nice but while i'm at school or doing clinical I have a hard time to get them from point A to point B without totally messing up my 12 yr old life! You know volleyball/basketball practices and so on! Their dad helps sometimes but can't count on him! My kids are supportive and worries about me when my pager goes off on certain calls but we talk about how my safety is #1 and that fire and police are always there if needed! I wouldn't say my girls resent me for the holidays and long hours and not being able to leave town while on call but I do think they get annoyed! But, they know mommy is out saving lives and deal with it! My girls look up to me for going back to school and on some nights we do our homework together and it shows both of them they need math and those english skills in real life and to study hard to get them now rather then at 31! LOL! Hope this helps! Communication with everyone is always GOOD!!! Keep the line open!!!