I am not usually one that takes enjoyment out of my student’s pain but I made an exception with our Reality Works project. Many of you helped or at least read about the Reality Works baby project that I did with my 12th grade family living class. Students take home a computerized baby that has a set schedule similar to a newborn. It cries every couple hours, gets fussy, needs to be fed, changed, burped, etc. Because the teenage pregnancy rate is so high here (50%), I felt that this was an important project despite the extreme cost. During the time that they had the baby, I watched them “raise” their baby in true cultural fashion. At school, they helped each other out by taking turns holding it (although, only the person with the parent bracelet could do the actual parenting), they compared “their” baby to their friends and they sought advice. On two different occasions I had students come to my house to get help with their baby. One student had to bring a babysitter to school when he was assigned the baby during science fair. I watched a couple kids fall asleep after having the baby all night. One girl panicked when she heard a noise she didn’t think was normal and came RUNNING through the streets of Gracias to my house. One boy gave his child a good shake (no this is not encouraged) because he thought she wasn’t making the breathing sound she is suppose to make (she was and he got points deducted from his grade when she recorded the shake). Another boy got points deducted because he thought he wasn’t burping her enough so he “burped” her harder. Yet another one was so embarrassed that he made his sister carry it anytime they went outside the house. After having the baby, the students turned in a paper reflecting on their parenting experience. I have included some of their comments below…
- I had a great experience with the baby because it represents to me a big responsibility.
- The baby was difficult, knowing it’s needs came before me.
- The difficult part was trying to discover what she wanted in the middle of the night. I tried everything.
- My family liked that I had the baby and they all laughed at me. My mom held it for 5 minutes then gave it back telling me, “that’s your work, son.”
- The worst time was when she wanted a bottle, because she eats for 15 minutes. I had to be awake too. I think I am not ready to be a mother because babies take a lot of your time. They eat a lot too.
- I am very patient and I know I will be able to take care of a real baby when I need to but I don’t want to now. It is like washing clothes. I can do it but I don’t want to.
- I was seven years old when my sister was born so I helped a lot. This was different because I didn’t have to sleep with my sister. Also I know how hard it has been for my parents to give me an education so it would be too bad if I got pregnant.
- I am not ready to be a mother because having the baby with me makes me realize that to be a mother requires a lot of time and effort from the mother. You have to stop what your doing because the baby might be hungry or have an illness and also you have to change it’s diaper not once, not twice but a lot of times.
- It showed me I am not ready to be a mother because I am not prepared emotionally.
- I have learned a lot and having the baby was a great experience. It was a big responsibility. I think the best way to prevent [having a baby] is by not having sex. We are not prepared to have babies.
- A baby is not a one day game and then your done. I learned that when you decide to have a baby, you have to give up on so many things that you like to do.
- At the beginning, I was very scared because I was frightened that when the baby cried, I wouldn’t know what to do. In the end, I wasn’t scared but tired.
- What I did not like is that she cried a lot and I was the only one who could make her stop. I’m not emotionally or economically prepared; I still depend on my parents.
- The baby taught me that I am not ready to be a father and that important role.
- To prevent all these problems [the baby makes], it is a good idea to abstain from sexual activity.
- I understood how hard it is when someone depends completely on you.
- I really want a daughter but not right now.
- I am certain that the easiest part of the the day was when I had to name her because everything else was hearing her crying and weeping and yelling. The quick laughter [she makes] became one of the greatest signs of relief in my week.
- I didn’t sleep that night. I thought if a fake baby requires this much special care, I don’t want to imagine the care that will be needed with a real baby. A babies needs are big so it is better that I keep my pants on so nothing can happen.
- I think every girl and boy should have this experience because this will help them to understand that having a baby is not an easy thing. In our country the girls of the public schools and of the villages are mostly single moms.
We raised enough for one baby and the accessories. We are still in need of funds for a second baby and the accessories for it. If you would like to donate to this cause please let us know. Thanks of all of you who helped make this project happen! I hope you enjoyed their comments and discomfort as much as I did!
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