Should I quit to spend more time with my kids?

I am 25, I just recently got divorced, and I'm a single mom of almost 2 year old twins (Full Custody of them). I'm also a high school teacher in Florida, so the pay isn't good at all. Its pretty tough, I need to be at school by 6:30, which means I need to leave home by 6 to drop them off at daycare on time, and then I have to stay after until 2:30. During the fall season, I coach the girls' cross country team, so I don't get home until 4... Its just really tough to take care of them, and then I have lesson plans and paper grading. I love them to death, but I feel like I am a bad mom because I dont get to spend that much time with them. I definitely cant stop working, because I need the money to support them and myself.

I dont want to stop coaching, because I really love it and I love the kids on the team. (I have known some of them before I had even had my kids, so the girls on the xc team are like family in a way. We are really close since there are only about 20 girls on the team). Cross Country is definitely my favorite time of the year, and honestly the highlight of my day usually. I also run with them maybe like twice a week so I can stay in shape (I am in good shape, exercise is just really important to me). We have team dinners once a week, but I do bring my kids to those, and the girls on the team always play with them & my kids have fun :) They even ask if they can babysit my kids. I spend all of my weekends playing with them and doing stuff with them after I get my lesson plans and papers done, but every once in awhile I'll just go out with my best friend, and one of the cross county girls will babysit. I also get an extra 5 grand added to my paycheck from coaching, but I couldnt care less about the money, I just love the job. One of the girls had asked me if I was still coaching next year, and when I said I wasn't 100% sure, she started tearing up and begging me to stay. I really love that team... I knew I would want to coach ever since I ran xc in high school

I really do not want to give it up, but I dont get to see my kids as often as most parents do, since I've got to work and I dont have anybody to help me out with anything anymore. By the time I get the cooking, cleaning, run the errands, and get the rest of my school stuff done, I only have around an hour and a half to color with them or read to them or play whatever they want to play. Cross country is only 3 months long, and I hadn't even considered giving it up until I asked a question on here a few weeks ago about being a single parent, and somebody had said to drop xc. Any suggestions? thanks

I know i asked this last night, but the answers i got were half & half and the school needs an answer soon. I'll definitely regret quitting, since its the only thing I really do for myself now, but I guess it isnt really about me, its about them...
By 14 years ago :: Marriage
Copy The Code Below To Embed This Question On Your Site
10

13

x
Will AI take your job this year?
Find out