Cairo: A Saudi mother of 19 has managed to pursue her studies to obtain her doctoral degree while caring for her family.
Hamda Al Ruwaili, a mother of 10 boys and nine girls, recently highlighted how she has been able to strike a balance between studying, working and raising her children at the same time.
She told Saudi TV Al Ekhbariya that she works in an administrative job in the mental health sector, besides doing e-commerce.
Hamda, in her 40s, elaborated on her success formula by dividing her time between work and childcare during the day, and commerce and studying at night.
“I don’t like chaos and haphazardness. So, I always plan my day carefully.”
She said she completed her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees before she turned 43. She is in the process of defending her thesis for the doctoral degree.
Raising many children was certainly an uphill challenge for Hamda. But in undertaking this challenge, she drew inspiration from her teachers. “My role model in raising so many children is the teacher who runs a class full of students, and the army officer who supervises a large number of soldiers,” she said. “For me, raising one child is like raising 10. I respond to their needs, help them achieve their goals, and encourage them to pursue their hobbies.”
Her children are doing well in their studies, scoring no less than 94%, and some of them have scored 100%, she said.
Hamda noted that one of her daughters, a high school student, is talented and is supported by the King Abdulaziz Centre for the Gifted in Riyadh.
“Despite my great responsibilities as a mother of many children, I didn’t give up on my academic dream. Thank Allah, this success was not easy, but it is the fruit of planning and continuous family support,” she said reported Gulf News.
