As part of her Family Living and Parenting class Erin has to bring one of these electronic monster babies home for the weekend. The concept is to show teens how having a baby is not all fun and games. Some schools are using this now in middle school rather than high school to send the message even earlier. Which might make sense since waiting till you are a Junior to take this class for some is a bit too late.
She has to wear this special magnent bracelet thing so that she can't hand the baby over to anyone else. A baby sitter bracelet is sent home but it can only be used for three hours for the whole weekend.
The teacher presets how often the baby will demand attention, I don't think the teacher likes Erin, or doesn't like me because so far? This baby cries alot...The puppy is freaking out everytime the baby cries and my one older cat who has been thru babies? Saw it and when it started to cry he fled under the bed. Poor old guy probably is thinking days of being chased by a toddler are soon to come.
Any attempt to remove the battery pack registers as abuse. If the baby is shaken or it's head is not properly supported and it goes to far back that registers as abuse. Supposedly there is three settings with colicky being a baby who cries every two hours. I think we got colicky...I'm not ready to be a grandma...
The creator of this doll, Richard Jurmain maintains that the main lessons learned from Baby are not about values but "sleeplessness." And sleeplessness, he observes, "is a compelling rationale for not getting pregnant."
:-)
10 comments:
Poor Erin... The part this project doesn't contend with is that when a really baby is involved usually so is love.
Good point Stephanie, and in Erin's case having a younger sibling she is very well aware of what having a baby means for a household. But? It's part of the class and it might be beneficial for those who don't have younger siblings that think having a baby would be some sort of live plaything. I think it would be more effective if it were done in middle school or freshmen year though, if the goal is to prevent pregnancy they should do this before sex becomes an issue.
Middle school might not be soon enough, then. Unfortunately.
At Whitmer the both boys and girls have to participate.
My son took the class before they had the ID bracelet, and he was conning people to watch "his" kid for him until I found out.
I made him take responsibility for "his" kid.
I think it gives them a little taste of the hard work in raising a baby, but it's the impulsivity that gets them into trouble.
I doubt the baby memories matter much when teens "play grownup."
Guys have to take the baby home too, Erin's boyfriend had the baby last semester.
I'm sorry I should have made that clear. They didn't have the dolls when my son was in high school.
Mike,
"play grownup."
What a quaint phrase, but way to clinically sanitized.
I prefer to call it what it is, with the sharp edges intact ;-)
The cranky baby droid should work in most cases, one would think (except for politicians).
Nothing can tame their egos...
I think they are missing the point by a fair margin. The only reason parents don't kill off a crying baby, one that keeps them up all that sleepless night, is because of the capacity of a parent to love unconditionally. If not for that one human condition there would be no human race. I think that all these kids should either unhook the battery and turn them selves in for "abuse" or toss the monster machine in the river and claim it was kidnapped.
Tf? I want you to write the parental summation I have to on this stupid thing.
God makes babies "cute" in order that they might survive 2:00 a.m. feedings...
;-)
Uhm, better edit that to be what Stephanie said, instead.
Great Point!
I feel every teenager should take part of this program.
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