Topic: Child rearing

Transitioning to the role of a stay at home mom

By Sylvia Britton | November 7, 2009 |

More and more young women are choosing to leave the workplace and make a home for themselves, their husbands and children. While it may look like an easy move, it does have its challenges. I can’t possibly solve all your transition problems, but here are a few suggestions to help you make it as smooth as possible.

Transitioning from the workplace to staying at home with a child can sometimes be stressful and frustrating. You aren’t alone in your struggle if you are learning how to manage your days and fill your hours productively at home.  Here is a letter from a young mom who had lots of questions about her new role as full-time stay at home mom.

I am a new sahm  (Stay At Home Mom) after seven years of teaching. I want to continue being at home. I want for my home to be clean and comfortable, to have an idea of what I am doing each day, to build relationships with God, my husband, my new baby,and others, and to take care of myself. I never knew that being a sahm would be so overwhelming. Before I quit teaching I used to get up a certain time of day, know what I was doing that day , had a time period to complete my tasks, was around other adults, enjoyed coming home to relax and went to bed around the same time. Now I feel overwhelmed. I do not know what expectations I should have for myself every day. What things should I be cleaning daily? What things should I only do occasionally? During the time that I am not cleaning what should I be doing? I have a 5 month old daughter. I do not want to be so devoted to cleaning my house that I miss time with her. I also need time with other adults. Any suggestions?

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A Mother’s Baby

By Beth Britton | May 10, 2009 |

She pulled out of her purse a small, silver, Kodak easy share camera, like a proud Momma showing off her brag book. She turned it on and began to show me the most recent pictures of her children. There was her youngest daughter who is growing into such a stunning young girl, and there were pictures of laughter and silly moments between siblings on the couch. Then she got to the pictures of her oldest daughter who just turned eighteen-years-old last week. She had pictures of her in her poster-clad room surrounded by all the latest heart throbs, and pictures of her getting ready for her first real date. Then she came to a picture of this same daughter asleep on the couch with her hands curled up underneath her chin. This particular picture really took my breath away, because I had seen that sleeping face before. I had seen that face because it looked my little girl who turned the big 20-months-old last month. They look the same because they are related; the young sleeping beauty was my sister-in-law, and the proud Momma my Mother-in-law. I smiled as she showed me that last picture and said, “That’s your baby.” «Read the rest of this article»

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The Pink Blanket

By Beth Britton | April 21, 2009 |

I still remember the first night I used the pink blanket. Elle-Girl was just a bit of a thing, barely two months old and was all wrinkly and fresh smelling from a nightly sponge bath. I laid her out on her changing table and rubbed her down with smooth lavender lotion. Next, I dressed her in new cotton pajamas and was ready to settle her down to sleep. On my way out of her bedroom, I picked a blanket off of the top of the neatly folded collection of baby blankets all given to us by family and friends before Elle-Girl was born.

This particular blanket was given to us by her Great-Grandmother.

The blanket was trimmed in pink satin and the blanket itself was of the softest flannel. It smelled of Ivory baby detergent and was so supple and flowy from never haven been used that it just enveloped our small little girl wrapping her in warmth and comfort. After nursing that night Elle-Girl drifted off into the deepest of sleep, (However, still not deep enough to sleep through the night) I decided that a child must have a blankie all their own to offer them years of comfort and I gave that particular blanket official “blankie rights”. «Read the rest of this article»

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Beth Britton to pen column for Christian HomeKeeper network

By Christine Anne Piesyk | March 17, 2009 |

Beth Britton with her daughter, "Elle-girl"

Beth Britton, a columnist for Clarksville Online,  has been asked to write a weekly column for the new site, Christian HomeKeeper Network.

“This website is a great place for women to go and be encouraged and to get to know other women with similar interests. I am excited to be joining with the other excellent writers in contributing to this site.”

– Beth Britton

In additions to her periodic essay on our site, you can read Beth’s  weekly postings at my personal on site blog http://christianhomekeeper.org/ravens-nest/ «Read the rest of this article»

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The “play date…”

By Beth Britton | September 28, 2008 |

"Woman getting ready..."

Play dates are funny things.

The morning of, maybe even the night before you set about planning what you will wear. It’s kind of like when you were in high school and were going on a date with a guy, only difference is the debate over what you wear is now a little different.

As a teen you wanted to have it all together, smell nice, hair a certain way, and make- up just perfect.

As a mom on a play date, same thing, only this time you strive to not make it look like you have it all together.

You want to be approachable, right? You don’t want to give the impression that Gucci and pearls are the norm for you. Or maybe that’s just the impression you want to give, and if that’s the case then I think someone needs to tell you

• A. You’re not fooling anyone, and
• B. The rest of us are quietly fuming that you got to take a shower this morning! «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: News | 1 Comment »

Separation Anxiety: a real issue for toddlers

By Beth Britton | September 3, 2008 |

Elle girl and Elmo

Last night after a family dinner out at our favorite pre-baby restaurant, Old Chicago, we thought we would make an attempt to return to post-baby normalcy by going to a book store that we had not ventured into since before Elle-girl was born.

We never took a small baby to this particular book store because we didn’t want to be “those” parents of an obnoxiously loud toddler screaming its head off because it couldn’t get what it wanted, you know the type, the ones that people who don’t have children scoff at ?

We thought that now that our well mannered daughter was a bit older that we would try it. Not taking into consideration that it was 9 p.m. at night, and our toddler is usually curled up in her footie pajamas by this time any other night of the week.

It started off well. She seemed stunningly overwhelmed by the mass majority of her favorite thing in the whole wide world all around her, books!

She was all smiles and all whispers, just like planned! «Read the rest of this article»

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“The Naughty Chair” tames the dangerous side of independence

By Beth Britton | August 29, 2008 |

naughty
Main Entry: naugh·ty Pronunciation: \ˈnȯ-tē, ˈnä-\
Function: adjective
Inflected Form(s): naugh·ti·er; naugh·ti·est
Etymology: Middle English noughti, from nought Date: 14th century
1 a: archaic: vicious in moral character. Check
1 b: guilty of disobedience or misbehavior. Check,check
2: lacking in taste or propriety. Sometimes, yes. Check, Check, Check

Being a former Preschool teacher I understood that sooner or later I would have to institute a “Time-Out” area for my toddler. However, I didn’t realize it would be sooner, rather than later.

As I saw the approaching need I began to scout out local antique stores and Malls, yard sales, garage sales, and Ma and Pa, Grandma, and Grandpa’s attics, looking for just the right stool. Requirements were as follows: «Read the rest of this article»

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