If you thought getting up for a 9am lecture, writing up last-minute essays and listening to a university professor drone on in front of an out-of-date PowerPoint presentation was hard, imagine adding a baby into the mix.
Being a single mum is no mean feat. Being a single mum and trying to persevere through a university course is almost unfathomable and kudos to literally anyone who attempts to do it.
Late night feeds, childcare problems, finding university accommodation that welcomes a single mother and a child, breastfeeding in the middle of the union bar at lunchtime and finding the money to buy baby food, nappies and changing mats, as well as textbooks, a winter coat and the occasional coffee at the library - it's a lot.
The act of balancing studies and motherhood is why single mother and University of Tennessee student Morgan King recently felt obliged to inform her college professor that she was unable to attend her human development class because she couldn't find anyone to watch her three-month-old daughter, Korbyn.
The response she received will make you want to grab the nearest box of tissues, so be warned.
Sally Hunter, a professor at Tennessee's Department of Child and Family Studies, wrote to Morgan to say: 'I'm so sorry that childcare issues are what caused you to miss class today.
'In the future, if you are having trouble finding someone to watch Korbyn, please feel free to BRING HER with you to class. I would be absolutely delighted to hold her while I teach, so that you can still pay attention to the class and take notes.
'I work for the Department of CHILD and FAMILY Studies so how terrible would it be, if I was unwilling to have a child visit our class? I'm very serious with this offer,' she added.
Hunter finished the email by marking Morgan's absence from he class as 'excused'.
Oh sweet cheesus, we're now blubbing.
Since posting her professor's response on Twitter, the letter has now received over 26,000 'likes' and been shared over 5,000 times.
One of those who replied to the tweet was the university's own chancellor, Beverly Davenport.
Morgan later revealed to NBC's affiliate WBIR: 'It gives me chills just talking about it. She really wants me to succeed in her class. That just really spoke majorly to me.'
'[Hunter] doesn't even have a Twitter. She doesn't know how it works. She just doesn't think that she did anything special,' she added.
And, it appears Morgan's professor really is surprised about the reaction to her response, having written a follow-up email to her student to say: 'It seems you have made us 'Twitter famous' — ha!
'Seem to me that inviting Korbyn to class was just the decent thing to do,' she added.
It's more than decent, Hunter. It's truly heartwarming.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
