Baby Borrowers? Appalling…Must Rant
I read that last night a new show premiered called “Baby Borrowers”. Their slogan? “It’s not TV…It’s Birth Control”.
Premise: Five teen aged couples “borrow” real babies from real parents to see if they’re ready for marriage.
And all the mindless Americans say, “Yeah, that’s a good thing. Then the teenagers will stop getting pregnant.”
Are you serious? This is wrong on so many levels, I don’t even know where to start.
Here’s a quote by the show’s creator:
“…I wanted to create an entertaining show rather than an educational video. But it does send the message that teens shouldn’t grow up too fast, that they need to think about the consequences of having s*x.”
Let me say that again: “THE CONSEQUENCES OF HAVING S*X”.
Translation: “We’ll show them what a burden that “consequence” of s*x is (don’t even call it a person) so they’ll, (NOT STOP HAVING S*X), but so they’ll be sure to use protection or be sure to have an abortion in the case they mess up.
Detach the young couple from the overwhelming love of seeing the sacred fruit of marital oneness, from the bond a heart feels as God knits a mother together with the fruit of her womb–just shove a strange, crying, TERRIFIED baby into this teenagers face and pretend that’s all there is. UGGHH!!!!
And here’s a thought…condition people, young couples–whomever, that “babies are nothing but trouble”, and do you think that marriage is going to miraculously change their hearts toward children?
“I do…Oh honey, everything’s different now–I can’t wait to have children!”
And what about “that teens shouldn’t grow up too fast”? Or not at all, according to a quick glance around twenty-first century America! Parents aren’t even grown-up enough to realize how senseless our methods are.
Here’s one more quote:
“The experiment, which can get repetitive, also tests the solidity of each relationship.”
Let’s not mention that co-habitation and test-driving a mate is not the way to “test solidity”.
Why not a show called,
“S*x Before Marriage Will Wreck Your Emotions”
or
“STD’s…Abstinence is the Only Cure”
or
“Novel Idea: God Has a Plan”
Yes, I’m oozing with sarcasm today. I’m angry. In a godly kind of way 
And I’m sorry…please refrain from any “but Christians aren’t supposed to be angry” comments…there are plenty of sappy blogs elsewhere for those.
(Thanks Kathy, for the gentle, morning news.
Related posts:
abortion, birth control | Word Warrior | 
June 26, 2008 9:00 am
I know how you feel. I saw the preview for the show and I was really upset by it… all I could think was, “Great, they’ll just have an abortion instead.”
Wow. You are so right on this! All a show like this will do is at most teach the teens long-term babysitting. Under situations that would never happen in real life. And also the point on how important it is to teach people to value life and procreation from the beginning and not hope the attitude will change after the wedding.
I was raised in a large-ish family, but even so the attitude was fairly clear that “I guess children are a blessing, but mostly if they come when I want them.” It took several years of the Holy Spirit working on my heart and looking at the Bible to soften my heart towards the way God designed us to see children as the blessing that they really are and welcome whoever He sends. But what freedom afterwards! We’ve five little ones now, and are busier than all get-out, but such freedom.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts in such a clear way.
And I’m also wondering what parents would hand their babies over to these STRANGERS for who know how long, all for the sake of “entertainment”???
Also, when you really think about it this show is in no way realistic. When you have children you aren’t getting someone else’s one-year-old who doesn’t know you and hasn’t been attached to you and trained by you since birth–you get your own child, right from birth, to love, nurture, and train.
This is truly a ridiculous show!
I also HATE the slogan (It’s not TV…it’s birth control), which you have also pointed out.
I’m glad someone else out there is upset over this like me
Amy
Yeah I agree. I saw the previews of this show and was more disturbed by the crying/screaming children. I agree with the previous post what parents would had their children over to strangers for the sake of an experiment and not a good one at that.
Kelly
It IS pretty appalling I have to agree.
Yes, it is disgusting. As if young people needed another voice in their ears telling them that children ruin your life. That message is shouted from the cultural mountain tops.
Kids=torture, kids=misery, do whatever necessary to prevent or terminate them.
It’s like when they would bring kids to jail to scare them straight except it’s so sad that babies are equated with jail, something that is okay to avoid.
Feeling under the weather last night, I had taken to the couch and remembered having seen a preview for this program. I knew it would get me all riled up, but I just had to see what exactly this was all about. It is even more appalling than the premise.
It discussed the “honeymoon” period for the couples which was the first day in their new homes. Here they not only cohabitated, but slept in the same beds together. (Confirmation that this is not an abstinence promoting program!) They were “pregnant” for a day where they wore suits replicating the feeling of the ninth month of pregnacy. (Leaving out the logic that you only feel that way at the end and there is a gradual build up to it.) The babies were dropped off for 3 days and nights and their parents went to houses across the street where they watch everything on camera and can intervene (that is yell at the young adults who have never taken care of or in some cases even held a baby before in their lives) whenever they choose. There is also a professional nanny in the room with them at all times to intervene if things get out of hand. You know just like in real life. On the next episode, they get to choose which one “stays at home” and which one will go to work.
I felt just awful for the poor babies (some of whom were teething and clearly uncomfortable) who were left with complete strangers. They had to have been so confused. It’s the parents out to make a quick buck off their babies who disgust me. If this is an experiment then it is the babies who are the guinea pigs, not the “teenagers.”
It all disgusted me on so many levels. I’m glad to see others share my outrage. I wonder how many people will mindlessly watch the program and believe that this is what it is really like to have a baby. How many parents will sit down with their teenagers to show them this as though it were reality as the genre suggests and then encourage their daughters to murder their grandchildren via abortion or pill? Speaking as a woman who gave birth to her first child as a “teenager” (young adult) I can attest to the fact that this is not reality!
LOL I completely agree – had to laugh at your last few comments.
I get righteously angry over things as well.
You are right on about this! This show is insane. (And I love the first name of the show you came up with–that’s more like it!!)
There are so many things wrong with this show I don’t even know where to start.
i too was sooo upset after hearing about this show. we don’t have tv so maybe i am slow on commenting but i find it disgusting! how could someone give up their baby like that for a stupid show? even if it is only 72 hours! those poor children!
Honestly, that didn’t bother me as much as the fact that parents are actually leaving their kids for a period of time with strangers…sure, they can monitor them and such, but these inexperienced teens have to be mommy and daddy to these poor kids who have been shoved away from their REAL mom and dad? I was so appalled, that I actually watched a bunch of the teasers and footage, and it shows the teens yelling at the kids and mishandling various situations. My heart just broke for those poor innocent children…
Amen!
I’m sorry to say that I watched this last night. It turned my stomach, never again. So many of the teens kept calling the babies “it”. One of the boyfriends openly admitted he was hoping this would scare his girlfriend away from wanting children, and was very happy at the fact that his plan seemed to be working. What a sad, sad, world.
OMGoodness!!!
You are so right! And teaching these teens that babies and parenting are burdensome? What happened to “Lo children are a heritage from the Lord”?
Again, I say, OMGoodness!!!
I feel sick just hearing about this!! I keep wondering how low TV will go I must admit I am glad we have stopped watching television it is time we as Christians turned our backs on this trash!!!
I couldn’t even watch it. Just the commercials disturbed me so much, that I had to turn away. Instead, I played Uno with my son, who is NOT a burden, who is NOT an accident, who is a JOY to my life.
And I agree with other posters…who in their right minds would leave their babies with complete strangers? I couldn’t bear to take my babies to daycare or even a church nursery. They were with me 24/7. Even now that mine are older (12, 11 and 9) I am still with them a good portion of the day. Being their mother is my pride and joy.
By the way, I love this blog. I read it every day. I don’t know if this is my first post or not, but I have learned a lot here.
There is a righteous anger & I feel it too reading this. This is just awful; I agree completely. Those poor little babies! What are those parents thinking? And the teens that are being wrongly led & advised… well, that said, I do get angry, at the same they have no idea so it’s terribly pitiful; that is “worldy wisdom”, not God’s wisdom, which they do not know.
This is abhorrable! I’m so glad that I don’t watch tv and neither do my kids! And I ask you, who would “lend” out the babies to teenagers for care?! That just makes me sick! But I’m sure those parents are being compensated well. I barely leave my kids with a teenage babysitter for a few hours, let alone give them to a teen “couple” to care for them. Uggh! The world truly is Satan’s domain to call this entertainment.
I was appalled myself. It comes right on the heels of a proposed new sex ed class that uses “Midwest Teen Sex Show” as curricula. It’s teens talking about premarital sex and one of the teens says:
“So, some of you are having unprotected sex. Well, you need to stop. Babies are f****ing stupid. They need to eat at least once a day.”
This story was featured on NPR the other day. I was horrified that this kind of sex-ed might be taught in public schools. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, though.
These kinds of thoughts come from only one place: Hell.
sorry, my bad info. it wasn’t a teen who says the above quote. apparently, it’s a mom herself who is trying to warn kids away from having unprotected sex. EVEN WORSE!
This is dreadful. I detest things like this so much! This is soooooo sad.
Ashley
http://www.homesteadblogger.com/Jonash2004
The whole thing is making me ill. I’m going to write a few letters–may I quote you?
Dana
Dana,
Yes you may.
And…even more sickening, when I went just now to try to find contact info for anyone who wanted to share their complaints, I ran across this:
“BBC Learning has edited and adapted The Baby Borrowers series, producing four 20-minute DVDs. Each DVD looks at specific aspects of the series and comes with four exciting lesson plans designed to be used with the 11-16 age groups, which facilitate discussion and debate around a wide range of parental and adult responsibilities.”
Our tax dollars at their best! Now a “curriculum” for the classroom, taken right from the series! I’m almost speechless…almost. Did you catch it? Ages 11-16…to faciliate discussion–guess what your 11-year old is being taught? Please, parents, reconsider the public school thing…please. CHRISTIAN parents…it’s time to stand against this.
I’ve never heard of such a notion. I’d be concerned about baby-dropping or potential child abuse if I were the biological mom I can’t IMAGINE loaning my CHILD out for such a thing.
Did I miss something? Crazy.
While I agree the whole concept is awful and I totally agree that about the questionableness of the parents lending thier babies to this show for 72 hours– but I was also wondering about the parents of the teens— who in thier right mind would let thier teen be subjected to this supposed “real-life” scenario– how damaging is it to them to be made “famous” from this type of show— how damaging to thier psyche if they actually believe they really know what children and marriage are like. I have a feeling none of this will be explained for the fakeness that it is. *sigh*
This is so sad. After reading about the show here, I watched some of it (online). They took all of the magical and beautiful moments out parenting and all the advantages of knowing and bonding with your own child. At the end of the show one of the teenage girls said to her partner that she came on the show because she wanted to show her partner that she was ready for children. She later admits that the show “proved” she was wrong and her partner glibly adds “Now she knows that she can’t do it”.
The message to teens couldn’t be more clear: children are a curse and you can’t handle being a parent even if you did want a child. Even if you thought that you might be a good mother guess what- You can’t handle it so you might as well get an abortion right now if you’re pregnant.
Funny how none of them started with a tiny new baby that spends most of the day eating, sleeping, or just looking adorable while bonding with his or her parent.
When our society chooses to devalue life at a young age (inconvenient, messy, not as “fun” as being self-centered, not worth the effort) we also devalue the lives of the weak and or elderly for the same reasons. Euthanasia (death control) may be the next frontier.