University bans her from bringing her infant son to class because "it is not appropriate", but she goes anyway
Combining motherhood with studies is not at all simple - but it's not impossible, as has been proved by Janine Adamson, a 34-year-old mother who decided to return to university to complete her education which had been interrupted many years earlier. Janine became pregnant at a very young age and, for this reason, she had to give up her studies. Now that her two children have grown up, she decided to resume her education, but by the time she re-enrolled, she discovered she was pregnant yet again. Should she have given up for a second time? We only have one life and time flies, so Janine has decided to take on a pregnancy again, but without giving up on her dream.
Janine realized she was pregnant again soon after enrolling at the University of Solent, England, but she didn't want this great blessing to become a limitation on her at the same time. When she was young, she had to interrupt her education to become a full-time mom and get a job, but now that her two sons Bradley, 16, and Maizie, 11, are a little older, she's decided to get back in the education game. The pandemic and the consequent lockdown allowed her to reflect a lot on the future and, being forced to close her business temporarily, Janine decided to enroll in the university. Of course, she would never have expected to go to class with a bun in the oven after only a few weeks! And it is precisely in this area that this mother had some issues when her baby, Tommy, was born.
The university, in fact, banned the mother-student from taking her infant son to classes. Janine refused to submit to this decision and she continued to go to class without bothering anyone. It should be noted that most of the activity for the students takes place online (due to the pandemic), and Janine goes to the classroom only for a couple of hours a week. Additionally, Janine specifically asked her teachers and classmates if little Tommy's presence in the classroom would bother them in any way. None of them had any complaints about this, which is why Janine arranged herself and her routine, trying hard not to bother anyone. The university, however, has been clear: she would not be allowed to take her son to classes.
Janine challenged the university, and although at first she was worried that someone would kick her out of the classroom, her fears soon subsided: "At first I felt like I was not accepted in the class and the lecturer said if he could hear any noise from Tommy, he would have to kick me out of the classroom. By week eight, Tommy started to be much more active while I was in the class. But since I had been going there for a while, I felt more comfortable. However, it's not like it once was. I feel very isolated. My friends are not the same anymore and I sit alone and do my own thing because my priority now is Tommy. Despite this, I'm fine anyway. "
This mom - who is constantly torn between studying and caring for her family - has an account on TikTok in which she shows her routine and hopes that her videos can be taken as an example by other mothers who believe they cannot go to university. She hopes to raise awareness and support for female students who are in a similar position to her.
