SAHM for years but now wanting to work, too late for college?

Ok, here's the thing...I am almost 30 years old. I have pretty much always been a SAHM except for a year small jobs here and there. I had the first baby when I was 16 so I quit high school. I have always wanted to be a nurse. Recently I was told about a nursing home that pays $8.50 an hour to train you as a CNA, then will pay for you to go to college to get a LPN license. I am really interested in this but I have been out of school for a long time and am scared of taking the GED test. I know I suck at math. I've had to make a lot of changed in my life the last 2 years that have been hard. I am really terrified of trying something new. My future MIL wants me to do it--she is an LPN in a nursing home and is working towards her RN license. I am just so scared that I wont be able to handle it. My mom was a nurse but she only lasted a year before she quit. Is being a CNA really that hard? Should I just forget it and go back to cleaning houses and hotels?

I know I could just go to college for LPN but I cant afford to not work. I think it would be too hard on me to work, go to school and raise 4 kids. I would rather work in a pediatricians office than a nursing home, but I have to start somewhere, right?

It isn't too late. There are a number of steps:

1 - you need to find the agency that does GED testing and sign up for a review course and for the test itself. If you have kept up with reading etc. you should be fine (and your writing looks great, typos and all). You will be with other "older" people who are going back to school as well. The average age at community colleges is much higher than at regular 4-year colleges.

2 - you can enter a community college without all the SAT/ACT testing and just with your GED. Many public colleges now offer distance learning, so you could even take some (I wouldn't recommend all) courses online and save on expenses. Just get started--you don't need to know what your major is at first (as long as the courses transfer). I would start with one or two classes to "get your feet wet" and not be overloaded. Add one more class each semester, or stay PT.

3 - you can start your career exploration when you start school, and help to get focused. Health careers require math and science (like chemistry), so you can start there.

Good luck--there are MANY people in your situation, and there are resources for you! Check with the local community college/GED center (sometimes at high schools).

It's NEVER too late. You'll be a great student. Good luck!

CNAs do back-breaking work; they are on the bottom of the pile (no pun intended) of the SNF staff.
Look into becoming a medical assistant, instead. You can work in a pediatrician's office that way.