Baby Think It Over Essays

These essays have been written by students at Old Orchard Junior High writing about their experience with the Baby Think It Over Project. The essays are corrected for spelling, but are in their own words.
These two daring Baby-Think "parents" took the babies for one entire week over Thanksgiving break!
I was very excited when I was going to Mr. Olson's room to pick up the baby after school. I couldn't wait to get it. A friend of mine and I were taking it for Thanksgiving weekend, which meant for a whole week! I knew that taking care of a baby was hard work, and I knew that I wasn't going to have one until I was married ( those facts haven't changed). But I love babies and I love taking care of them so I was really looking forward to this experience. I knew that it was only going to prove to me and show me how hard it really is to have to take care of a baby when it cries at inconvenient times. And boy did it ever! Not only did it cry twice a night and early in the morning and woke not only me but my parents, but it cried at very inconvenient moments. When I was brushing my teeth the baby started crying and I had to sit there for over ten minutes with toothpaste in my mouth (very unpleasant I may add). The baby cried when I was eating, cleaning, helping family members or hanging out with friends. Plus you had to be very careful not to let its head drop, or hold it in the wrong position, or shake it to hard or it'll start crying. I loved changing her into different outfits, although it was difficult because you had to be especially careful not to let her head drop back when you were putting on her shirt. The best part was when the baby coos. It's sooo cute, it makes it worth waiting for (unless you're really sleepy or it's a real bad timing). It was a lot like a real baby. You had to be very careful with it, and hold it correctly, and take care of it even at night. My mom would feel sorry for it and wanted to feed it, she'd tell me to put a bottle in it's mouth as a joke. She also felt sorry for me because I had to wake up a lot. She would wake up every night when the baby cried, my dad, well; he slept through the whole thing, (LOL!) he probably woke up about three times during the whole week. All in all, it was a fun and very tiring Experience. I like fussing over the baby when I wasn't sleeping or busy but it made me very tired. I knew before I took the baby but the Baby Think It over Project just proved it; kids shouldn't have kids until they're ready not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. It's a lot of hard work and very tiring. I liked taking care of this baby and I know that some day when I'm married and ready I'd like to have kids of my own. But for right now I just I feel sorry not only for the young moms out there but for all the moms (especially those who have new borns) because even thought babies are a joy those moms can't just put a care key it their baby's back to stop the crying they have to sit and rock it until they stop crying. 11/20/2001

 

"Before I got the Baby Think It Over baby I thought that motherhood was hard. But I never stopped to think how hard. The first time that the baby cried was in school, and I got very scared not knowing what to do...After a few times I found that caring for the baby was hard, but not so bad since there was only one thing to do. Then I started changing the babies clothes. It was hard at first, too.
At the end of my weekend, I have come to realize that the time I felt scared and clueless about the baby when it cried, real parents feel that same feeling every time their baby cries. The reason is they never know exactly why the baby is crying. Unlike us, they can't just put a key in the baby's back. This experience was very interesting and I learned a lot!" 11/2001

 

............................... ,,,,,,..................A Weekend the a Baby
When I first found out that I was actually getting a baby, I was so happy and excited. I never had any younger siblings. I always wanted a baby brother or sister. I thought that this would show me what it was like having one, and what my mom had to go through. The morning I was supposed to get the baby, I could not stop jumping up and down. I couldn't wait.
When I finally got the baby I was happy. When I took it in my hand, I never expected it to be so heavy. The first time it started to cry, I could not figure out how to get the key in. The first time I changed its clothes, the head flipped back and it began to cry. After a little while I began to understand how to hold it, how to do everything that needed to be done.
Having the baby even made the simplest things, like eating and sleeping, difficult. I had to go to my friends house to get something, and she lived about 20 minutes away. By the time I got there I was exhausted. Everyone Was staring at me like I was crazy. Being out in public was really embarrassing. It was mostly funny, though, because I knew that the baby was not real. People starred at me with such weird looks on their faces.
The baby cried at about the worst times. It cried when I was in the washroom! Luckily for me it didn't cry when I was in the shower!
I'm actually really glad that I took the baby. Even though it was really hard to get up at night, it was definitely an experience I won't forget. I didn't want to have a baby at this age, but this project just proved even more that I am not ready for that kind of responsibility.
The baby didn't even do all the things a real baby does. I have no idea what I would do with a real baby, and I don't want to know until I am ready. I just like being a kid. 11/2001

 

"I felt like I was caring for my own little baby or I was baby-sitting. I had to watch the baby's neck so it wouldn't move. The neck is not strong enough to support itself. I felt like this is how it's going to be when and if I have a baby. When the baby cried, it felt good to care for the baby. It seemed like a real baby. I enjoyed the fact that my friend was also caring for a baby at the same time." 4/2001

 

"I guess during the time I had to lug the baby around I hated it and I didn't understand why I ever decided to take her home. It was embarrassing when the 6th and 7th graders stared at me when I carried the baby around. When I had to carry the baby, the diaper bag and my books from Mr. Olson's class I realized just how hard it was to take the baby everywhere with me." 2/2001

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