There's this new show on ABC called The Baby Borrowers where teenage couples are given a baby for 3 days and have full responsibility for the child. They are given a house to live in, and have to live as if they are married and taking care of this child. The women had to wear a pregnancy suit (for only one day) and the couples had to attend a birthing/parenting class. Then, they had to assemble all the nursery furniture and prepare for the arrival of their baby.
Some of the couples did pretty good for first timers. Some of them were ridiculous and immature. As a mom, it was frustrating to watch these couples call the baby "IT" or say "Fine then, you can starve" when the teething baby wouldn't eat. Some of the teens had some pretty bad attitudes, some of them were drama queens, some of them were downright rude. All of them seem very immature. The point of this experiment is to give them a taste of real life and try to convince them that they're not ready for it. These are the kids who say "parenting is easy, I'm ready for that" and they're trying to show them that they're not.
I think this show was entertaining, but frustrating to watch if you're a parent. I hope that it does some good and I hope that these teens in the end will grow up a little and not act like selfish, stupid, whiney, bratty, spoiled jerks...but I'm not sure they are capable of doing so.
Did you watch this show? What do you think of this "experiment"?
recommend
Facebook
Twitter
bookmark 
print
Comments: 35
Second, Phyllis, my husband and I have always stressed the future with our three daughters. So far, touch wood, the message seems to have come through. Two of our three daughters have gone to college, one left to pursue art in Dallas (which is what she was studying) and is in a successful, childless relationship, the second has earned her BA and is packing her things to begin graduate school and teaching duties in the fall. The third will be a high school senior in the fall and is planning to teach math to hearing impaired students and has encouraged her hearing friends to participate with her in community outreach events interacting with the deaf community for everything from Friday night coffee clatches at the local StarBucks , volleyball tournaments, Hallowe'en haunted houses and fashion shows to signed church services and Christmas concerts.
My girls are far from being angels, but each of them has a sense of herself and a plan for the future and self-respect based on their feeling of value in our family. We've managed to get everyone just about all the way through school and adolescence without arrests, car wrecks, rehab or pregnancy. In fact, I'm always surprised when we discuss things like the two shows mentioned that the girls, unprompted, say things like, "How can anybody be so stupid", or "They don't realize how hard their lives are going to be".
As my husband and I were watching "The Baby Borrowers" last night (laughing insanely) we both agreed that this should be a required activity for every teenager so they get over the glamorization of teenage pregnancy that has happened because of celebs like Britney and the rest of the Pop Tarts and movies like "Juno".
My son was 4 weeks old when my husband went on maneuvers, my MIL 2000 miles aways and my mother 5000 miles away. No one to turn to - no relief - no nothing. If it hadn't been for living on base and having made at least a couple of friends I could call or talk to - I would have gone crazy.
Both my MIL and my Mom were still working and besides not having the money to pay for long distance calls, it was tough and lonely.
Today, I'd have cell phone and camera and computer and chat - that alone would at least give some relief.
Teenagers who want babies? Get out! Wish there was a pill, patch or shot for someone who is that ignorant, to keep them from having babies, until they finished school, have their own apartment and their own job......
at least the parents are around