Royal Purple

Issue date: 1/30/08 Section: Lifestyle

Media Credit: photo submitted Libby Gobel finally rests with her son Brett. She confesses that although being a mom can be tiring, it's also very rewarding. Gobel's now 4-year-old son spends his afternoons at kindergarten while she attends classes.

When the alarm goes off at 7 a.m., Liz Bushey gets up to begin her day. Although it would be nice to sleep in, Bushey knows she has a busy day ahead of her.

The UW-Whitewater sophomore is no stranger to early mornings. As the mother of a 2-year-old, Bushey's days normally start this early. After waking up, Bushey wakes up her daughter, Stella, so they can shower, get dressed and get ready for the day. They try to leave the house every day at 8 a.m. Now that Stella is old enough, she attends the UW-Whitewater Children's Center while Bushey attends classes.

Bushey said having her daughter right here on campus has been wonderful.

"I'm the typical first-time mom," Bushey said. "I'm very paranoid about leaving her with strangers. So daycare was a very scary thing for us, but I feel very comfortable having her here."

Bushey, who was 23 when she got pregnant, admits her pregnancy was unplanned, but said it was "no less of a joy." Since Bushey and Stella's father, James, were already planning on getting married, they tied the knot when Bushey was six months pregnant.

Bushey said the biggest thing she's had to learn as a mother and student is how to prioritize her time.

"For awhile, I wanted to do everything. I wanted to be that super-efficient wonder woman and get everything done every day, but no one can do that."

Bushey said she feels extremely blessed to be able to attend UW-Whitewater and get an education. Since she is expecting a second child in June, it's more important to her than ever to get a solid education in order to provide her children with a good future.

"I want to chaperone proms and be on the PTA, and I just feel like having a college degree will help me do all those things, because I'll be able to do a lot more with my life, so that's my inspiration," she said.

Senior Libby Gobel was 18 and a recent high school graduate when she found out she was pregnant with her son.

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