This episode is brought to you by Slack. With Slack, you can bring all your people and

tools together in one place. It's your digital HQ where you can increase productivity,

enable flexibility and automate workflows. Plus, Slack is full of game-changing features,

like huddles for quick check-ins, or Slack Connect, which helps you connect with partners

inside and outside of your company. Slack. Where the future works, get started at

Slack.com slash DHQ.

Produced by the iLab at WBUR Boston.

The universe has good news for the lost, lonely, and heart sick. The sugars are here, speaking

straight into your ears. I'm Steve Alman. I'm Cheryl Strait.

This is Dear Sugar's.

Hi Steve. Hi Cheryl.

I love this letter and I love the person who wrote it. Dear Sugar's, I'm a 29-year-old mother

of five amazing souls. I started my mom journey at 16. When I found out I was pregnant,

I took myself out of high school and got my GED. I started beauty school at 17 and finished

at 18. By 21, I'd moved out of my parents' house, had another baby gotten married and bought a house.

Life has been a beautiful chaos with my wonderful husband. I stopped working at a salon before baby

number five was born. My plan was to go back to work. Once she started school in two years, but now I want to go to college.

To many, this question might seem like a no-brainer. They'd say, just go. It will be hard, but you can do it.

Can I? No one gets how hard five kids are.

I don't have help from family in terms of childcare. If I go to college, it will have to be evening classes.

My husband works two jobs and goes to bed early since he's up at 2 a.m. seven days a week, with no days off.

My going to college will mean he'll miss precious sleep time.

...