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Prime Times Mentor for moms By Chris Collins for The Associated Press BAKER CITY � Although Lyla Eddy�s child-rearing days have long since passed, she continues to study parenting issues, to read magazine articles on topics such as colic, and to preview child-care videos. The 70-year-old mother of five grown daughters and grandmother of three girls and a boy is constantly seeking more information about how to help new mothers do their best to care for their babies. She�s one of four local volunteers with the Calling on Moms program, which pairs experienced parents with new parents. The volunteers provide information, encouragement and support to families through home visits, telephone calls and newsletters during the baby�s first year of life. But Eddy does much more for the families she visits, according to Jennifer Brown, the mother of 2-month-old Jonathan Edward Thomas Brown. "She�s not only a person who comes to talk to me about my baby�s development," Brown said. "She�s also my best friend." Baby Jonathan, who weighed in at 8 pounds, 13 ounces, when he was delivered Nov. 7, is Brown�s second child. Her first son, Anthony, was born three years to the day earlier. He has since been adopted by Brown�s mother and lives with her in Hood River. Brown was the first mom Eddy ever visited when she started as a Calling on Moms volunteer after completing the 12-hour training in November 1997. Since then, she has visited about 25 new mothers, following about a fourth of them through a full year with their babies. Brown, a single mother, credits Eddy with motivating her to do a better job on her second chance at motherhood. "When I was seeing her with my first kid, I didn�t care what people thought," she said. "I didn�t want to be a mom at that time. Now I realize there are people willing to try to help you be the mom you want to be," she added. Eddy also sees a difference in Brown�s relationship with her second son. "She immediately bonded with this baby," she said. And Brown is quick to add, "I want to be the best mom he can have." "Calling on Moms has helped me through a lot. They�re my strength and hope," she said. "They�re what I have to hold onto. If I let go, I�m afraid I�ll lose my son and I don�t want to let go." Eddy began working with Brown even before Jonathan was born. The two attended a 13-week parenting class together during the pregnancy. They have continued to meet weekly since. Eddy and Brown covered a wide range of topics during a recent hourlong visit in Brown�s upstairs apartment. Brown shared the news of her plans for a May wedding with the new man in her life. And the two marveled at Jonathan�s developmental milestones, marked by his growing strength and increased awareness of the world around him. As the two talked, Eddy offered information to help Brown improve her parenting skills. She urged her to take good care of herself as an important part of caring for her baby. And she emphasized the importance of talking in complete sentences to the 2-month-old to help him develop his language skills. She routinely provides information about immunizations and helps ensure each baby�s safety with discussion of topics such as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and the dangers of shaking a baby. Eddy strives to rein in her natural tendency to try to solve the problems of others while serving as a Calling on Moms volunteer. "Our place is to listen and to find out what the resources are. They are the ones who structure how things are going to go for them," she said. "In my nature, I immediately want to make things better my way," she admitted. "That�s not what the program is about." Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.