Before having kids, it's normal to think that bringing a cute little baby home is all fun and games. Dressing them up, taking them shopping, and taking pictures all come to mind. The experience of having a baby is awesome in the right circumstances. However, there is always more to it than anyone truly expects. My advice would be to expect the unexpected.
I'm sure a lot of you have read about the teenage girls who made a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together.
"Nearly half the expecting students, none older than 16, confessed to making a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together," the (Time) magazine's story said, after reporters talked with Joseph Sullivan, Gloucester High School principal.
Seventeen girls at the 1,200-student Gloucester High have gotten pregnant over the school year, more than four times the average number. The spike has shocked and baffled education and health officials there and reignited a fierce debate about contraception in schools. But many told the Globe last month that the most alarming facts were that a significant portion of the expecting girls were 16 and younger and that some seemed to be intentional.
I wonder if any member of this baby pact thought about such things as morning sickness, medical costs, housing, food, babies getting sick, sleepless nights, insurance . . . Of course, the list is endless.
I posted yesterday about a class needed in common sense. Teenagers need to know the true reality of what it's like to raise children. Jobs can be lost, and money is tight. Sacrifices have to be made.
Today I noticed that there is a new reality show based on what it's like to have children. The show takes young couples through the entire process. They borrow babies, toddlers, teenagers, and even some older folk along the way to see what it's really like to be in charge of another person's life. That's a pretty wide scope. Of course, it's a reality show, so they will only experience the tip of the iceberg. The couples will be closely monitored by the real parents of the kids. I wonder if the children of the elderly will also be keeping a close watch. The show is called "The Baby Borrowers" and airs Wednesday, June 25th, on NBC.
I'm going to watch "The Baby Borrowers" and will post about it. Hopefully, it will be based on some good old common sense.