Being a full-time student, working, while raising four kids, one of whom is only 3- months-old is no

Aanii, boozhoo, my name is Robyn Rowe and I am a member of Matachewan First Nation with familial roots in Temagami First Nation. I am also an avid sewer, a collector of fabric, a lover of books, a friend to the environment, a PhD student in rural and northern health with a focus on Indigenous Data Sovereignty, a Research Associate in Indigenous Health, a sessional professor in Indigenous Social Work, a best friend, a sister, a daughter, an auntie, a wife, and a mother of four (three girls and a stepson).

All formalities aside, this is hard! I wish I could say that it is as simple as aiming towards a goal and then just going for it, but it is so much more than that. You need to want it, and I mean, really, really want it! Being a full-time student, working, while raising four kids, one of whom is only 3- months-old is not easy. I have goals, I have ambitions, and I know that if I want to reach those goals, I am going to have to work for it! Keeping motivated can be challenging, in order to overcome that, I sometimes have to put on the face that I wake up each day and just exude excellence. That face helps me to avoid doubting myself.

Double duty as a woman who works, goes to school, and has kids can feel more like triple and quadruple duty some days. A typical day in the life of me consist of 3 am nursing sessions with my newborn, before I wake up to get my other three to school. I get up early so that I can sit with my baby to get every second with her that I can, opening the curtains to let the Fall colours into the living room while I enjoy a cup of tea, before I head off to work for the day. When I get home, I have three kids in many different after-school activities. It may be rock climbing, volleyball, maybe improv class, or track, and then tutoring. After all the busyness, we try to sit together as a family for dinner and talk about how everyone’s days were. Then the kids are off to play, before showers and bedtime routines begin. I pull out my books and I work on my school work, reading articles, writing—usually with many, many interruptions before the baby falls asleep around 10pm. Needless to say, the days are very busy, but I love it that way. If I have spare moments, I am usually finding something to fill them with.

Many people over the years have asked how I manage my day-to-day. This is the best advice I can muster: Before I could begin this post-secondary journey, I had to overcome many personal challenges. I had to decide what was right for my children and I, and I had to accept that the road ahead was going to be challenging as well—in its own ways. Today, I find solace in the quiet moments and I take extra time to enjoy things like my morning tea (and my Amazon deliveries). I also recognize and appreciate the things that I am not doing, which can really help with perspective. My husband does the cooking, so I never have to think about supper; and he makes sure the kids did their homework, so I don’t have to add that to my list of to-dos. We also have some family who take the older kids on outings to give us some time alone. Honestly though, looking at my kids and seeing how I’ve managed to raise such happy and respectful little people, just seems to make all the hard work worth it.