How does she do it?

Here’s a picture from a recent after-school English class.
On the left is Victoria, one of the “star” high-school students. (That’s “star” by our standards. She passed last year but as I’ve explained that doesn’t always mean a lot.) On the right is her son, Ayabulela, a bundle of joy who enjoys pre-school - especially lunch - more than any other child. In this class, we were practicing writing letters and Victoria brought Ayabulela along to keep an eye on him. I kept him quiet with an apple.

(I’ve written about these two before and their relationship with Victoria’s mother, who was once quite sick.)

I just can’t fathom how someone can be both a high-school student and a mother at the same time. The obstacles each role creates for the other must be so great as to be nearly insurmountable. But somehow she manages.