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them are trivial to one who has been through the drill. I quickly rose high in the scholarly ranks, racking up semesters of straight A's, invitations to various honor societies, and praise from everyone on campus. I began to be so excited about how decorated I would be walking down that aisle with all my tassels, badges, and ribbons. The world would know I was the next great mind of the century. I got so big for my britches that I decided to transfer my junior year to a "real" university. You know what happens next...pride cometh before a fall.

The babies kept coming, but I kept going to school, too pregnant to fit in the desks or nursing a newborn discreetly in the back of a classroom. I was now hobnobbing with the big boys in my field and I kept being told how amazing I was to be such a supermom and a star student. All that ambition and ego was taking its toll. I began to take advantage of independent studies and cut my class load in half. Grades were slipping, to say nothing of the happiness of my home. I was homeschooling two older children, going to school part time, and juggling a baby and a toddler when everything came to a screeching halt. I withdrew from classes three courses shy of a bachelors degree.

Some might question whether this is indeed a success story about continuing education or a giant red flag waving off anyone who has been toying with the idea of going back to school. True, I didn't quite end up with the degree that I so doggedly sought those many years at the expense of much time, money and sanity. I did however learn more about myself through this experience than I ever cared to know and I am thankful for that epiphany. I learned that my success doesn't have to look like someone else's. I learned the hard way what the most important priorities in life are. I learned to confront challenges without fear or regret and I know that will help me on the battlefront of being a parent. I also learned to relax and trust the wisdom that tells us, "To everything there is a season". My continuing education drama may have fallen a little short of the mark, but I still consider it to be a smashing triumph. I may be a grandma by the time I actually get to don my celebratory robes, but that is the beauty of being a non-traditional student. You don't have to go by any time table but your own.

Learn more about this author, Tiffany Coley.
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