Most Iowa State students know what it is like to experience stress from course work, part-time jobs and personal problems. But for students with families these are only minor responsibilities.

Jeff Boman, a senior in physics, is one of many students who, during the day, is a student but goes home to the role of father.

Boman’s wife, Holly, is an advertising manager at The Tribune. Their two children are Ruby Glee and Reed Stephen. Ruby Glee is 26 months old and Reed Stephen is one year old.

Kimberly Davis, a junior in elementary education added a baby girl to her household. With her infant Markquia Everett, the situation is quite similar to Boman’s family.

Davis shares the responsibility of taking care of Markquia with the child’s father, Marquis Everett.

Child care is an important subject to students with young children. Parents want to feel confident during their classes that their children are with someone they can trust.

Boman is no exception. He said he went through 40 applications and interviewed 10 people before finding Nancy, a 55-year-old with a Ph.D., for his nanny.

He said the price for the nanny is almost the same as other child-care services.

“We have a mutual agreement,” Boman said. “We pay for her meals, make sure she has everything she needs. It’s more like a social contract.”

Boman and Davis agree studying while at home proves unproductive. “I can’t study at home. When they are awake, I want to be there, so I wait until they go to sleep [to study],” Boman said.

Davis said it’s also difficult to study when she is at home with her baby. But Davis said she loves spending quality time with Marquia.

Davis said she often has to call Markquia’s father to watch her so she can study. With a baby, Davis said she must rearrange her schedule and study between classes.

Students with families also are faced with the unexpected. Class time and extracurricular activities are sometimes sacrificed when children have to be taken to the doctor.

“I usually miss class every time they have the flu or need immunizations shots,” Boman said. “There are often health scares or fevers.”

“I often miss classes because of Markquia’s irregular sleeping schedule,” Davis said.

Future academic plans also can be put on hold when students have children.

Boman will graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in physics, but he said the road to graduation was not an easy one.

Davis said she plans on going to graduate school, but as Markquia gets older, she will require even more attention.

Davis said she is unsure about working for a while after graduation or attending graduate school.

Boman said he plans to work with medical applications of higher energy physics after graduation. “If I did not have children, I would go to graduate school,” he said.

Fortunately, both Boman and Davis say they are financially stable.

Boman said his family is stable because he and his wife work. Boman is employed by Midwest Coaches in Ames during the school year and drives semi-trucks during the summer.

Boman said he pays his tuition and fees from the money he saves over the summer and only gets a loan when necessary.

Davis said she has received many gifts for Markquia, and taking care of her is low maintenance financially.

Boman said students with families need to have a strong relationship with their spouses, focus on academics and get used to separation from family if they plan to make it through college.