Rebuilding your life after incarceration while working full time, raising three kids, and going to school is not something most people could pull off — and this woman was doing all of it at once.

So when she came home only to have her mother push back on her going back to college, she found herself caught between gratitude for everything her mom had sacrificed and the need to secure a better life for her kids.

Read on for the full dilemma.

AITAH for going back to college when I just got out of prison?

I did a dumb thing when I was 22 and I got arrested by the feds, got let out on a personal recognizance bond, got scared, and left the country.

I was pregnant and had a baby in diapers, and I had never been in trouble before.

Regardless, she tried to make the most of her new life in another country.

In Mexico I learned the language, taught myself web design and some IT skills — mostly off YouTube — and was able to work remotely in tech.

I raised my kids, stayed out of trouble, and worked my way out of poverty to provide a good life for them.

But eventually, the law caught up with her.

Twelve years after I absconded, I was rearrested. Mexico deported me, and I was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Being separated from my kids was the hardest thing I have ever done.

We stayed in touch with daily calls, video visits, in-person visits, and letters that I wrote weekly.

She used her time away to keep hustling for a better life.

I held two jobs in prison and earned over a hundred certificates for programs I completed while trying to better myself.

My hard work paid off — I was able to earn time off through programming, and my judge granted a sentence reduction. I served four and a half years.

Once she finally got out, life finally started turning around.

Now I’m home in the US, back with my kids, who have been with my mom during my incarceration.

I got out in March. Since then I’ve gotten a car, got my license back, got a job, got a better-paying job, and enrolled in college to finally earn a degree at forty.

She thinks this is the next right step to becoming a productive member of society.

My thinking was that a degree might help offset my felony.

So I’m working full time and going to school with a full-time course load remotely.

She tries to be the best mother and daughter she can.

I’m able to pay the entire rent now, buy groceries, provide fully for my kids, and try to help my mom financially too.

On the weekends I try to take the kids out to do fun stuff. I get them up for school every morning, feed them breakfast, and pack their lunches.

My kids are everything to me, and I am trying so hard to keep all the plates spinning — housework, laundry, cooking, all of it.

The kids have been amazing.

But her mom isn’t exactly supportive of her ambitions.

My mom, though, really disapproves of me going back to school.

It’s not costing any money right now, as I thankfully get financial aid.

Her mom thinks this time would be better spent at home.

Her position is that I shouldn’t do anything that takes time or attention away from the kids right now, because I was in prison and just got out this year.

My kids are 19, 16, and 12 — yes, I had another one in Mexico.

But she thinks her going back to school would stand to benefit her kids a lot more.

I get where she is coming from, but I really feel like it’s critical that I get a degree so I can support everyone better. Right now I am only earning $45,000 a year.

I want to be able to buy us a house — my mom included — and take care of her since she is 65 and has health issues.

She doesn’t know if she really even trusts her mom on the financial stuff.

She is the kind of person who doesn’t really plan for the financial future. She doesn’t have anything saved for retirement, and when I tell her I’m worried about taking care of everyone, it will get taken care of.

She feels like she owes her mom for all her support, but she still wants to take her own path.

I’m deeply grateful to my mother for taking my kids in when I went to prison. It’s a debt I will never be able to repay.

It’s hard for me to go against her on this — but if I’m going to get a good job in tech, a degree to match my experience will help. At least I hope so.

So AITA?

Her mother has her idea of what’s best and she has hers.

What did Reddit have to say?

This user reassures this woman that she’s doing a great job.

Raising your kids takes planning ahead, even if it means short-term sacrifices.

This user thinks the mom may just not know any better.

Her mom could also worry that more of the childcare responsibilities will fall on her.

A better future is never guaranteed, but you never know if you don’t try.

If you liked that story, read this one about grandparents who set up a college fund for their grandkid because his parents won’t, but then his parents want to use the money to cover sibling’s medical expenses.