If you saw it, you already know The Baby Borrowers is 12 different kinds of insanity. If you missed it, let me assure you: NBC’s six-episode abstinence PSA gets even better next week.
To catch up those who just couldn’t turn away from last night’s second hour of So You Think You Can Dance, this reality version of Adventures in Babysitting features five teenage couples who descend on suburbia to care for “babies,” or miniature humans just past the larval stage. The point clearly is to convince these delusional adolescents that they’re in no way ready for parenting (i.e., keep it in your pants). Just in case they don’t get the message by spending a few days with infants, though, the experiment sends toddlers their way, then kids and other teens, finally ending with the couples caring for the elderly. Our role, as per usual, is to make with the schadenfreude.
How nice, then, that the shrieking started before they even got their hands on the kids. After the couples moved into their own houses (livin’ in sin, y’all!), the girls got their first assignments: Strap on a padded “pregnancy belly,” grab the “expectant dad,” and head to parenting class. Only Kelly, who already mouthed off about how she’s sooooo psyched to play mommy, rejected her belly. She got pouty and shouty, then locked herself in the bathroom, leaving boyfriend Austin to head to class alone. Yeah, how do you know you’re not ready for a baby? When you still act like one.
After everyone (minus Kelly) was apprised of the finer points of changing poopy diapers, along came the babies. Note that this is where the borrower part of the title comes in, because these aren’t hydroponic infants. These are real kids, with real parents—parents who station themselves in nearby houses, watching the action on TV monitors, as their wee ones wonder why they’ve been abandoned.
Some parents, however, couldn’t sit still. Little Miley’s dad went over to Daton and Morgan’s to soothe his fussy daughter, while Sean and Kelsey got a stern lecture from Etta’s mom, who didn’t like Sean referring to her daughter as “it.” They took criticism fairly well, though. Who didn’t? Cory and Alicea (pictured), who, after little Carson’s mommy dropped in, declared “We’re supposed to be able to learn from this, not to be, like, criticized or b—-ed out for no reason.” No reason, Alicea? Like, really? Because letting a kid starve all day certainly seems like a reason for a mother to cop a ’tude.
Unfortunately for Alicea (and lucky for us), Borrrowers ain’t Idol, and it ain’t Survivor—no one’s getting voted out. That’s right, she’s stuck…just like real parents. Here’s the kicker, though: If you can’t suppress a giggle at the idea of teens trapped in their own dreams-turned-nightmares, then you’re stuck too (just like me). So let’s meet back here next week, so we can continue enjoying this lawsuit-waiting-to-happen the way we were meant to: by pointing and laughing.
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I was curious to watch this show, but then I saw on this blog that HBO2 was going to run a marathon on George Carlin. So there was no contest! Mr. Carlin made me shed tears of laughter all night long!!
Gotta wonder about the parents that were willing to “lend” their babies for this . . . .
This was filmed in a neighboring community in my area. Had I known these kids were going to move on and have to parent teenagers, I would have GLADLY loaned mine out. He is really good at being a fifteen: argumentative, selfish, egotistical, messy, and…I could go on and on! One day of parenting him and they would run for the hills. I have to be held back from doing the same on an almost daily basis.
This show made me really sad for the babies. I have a baby, and I would have flipped my shizz after 20 minutes of watching through those monitors. Maybe if I didn’t have a baby I would feel differently, but I didn’t find the show funny.
it’s an interesting concept, but i wonder how it promotes abstinence when they live unsupervised in a house together for three weeks where they are allowed to share a bed? seems like an open invitation to try mommyhood for real to me
Was expecting a much more exploitative show… but got a pretty decent “hour of birth control.” And while I was initially skeptical about the parents who would lend their babies, I was quite pleased at all the security precautions. Can’t wait to see how Kelly & Alicea react in coming weeks – it’s only 2 days in, and those two girls are already “checked out” of the project. (But they were SO sure they were ready to be parents. HA!)
So I loved when Austin went to the parenting class and then Kelly got mad at him for “walking out”. Um, no, he was being responsible. I also loved when Autsin said something like, With Kelly, you just have to suck up your manhood and say you’re sorry. I couldnt believe Alicea’s attitude. Did they honestly think these babies would just sit there and look pretty and not have to do anything? Oh, and what about the couple where the girl wanted a kid but the boy didnt and he was hoping this would talk her out of it – and then they dont bathe, change clother or diapers for the baby? Um, duh. Geez. I LOVE the black couple from Texas – so cute and loving and not doing too bad of a job.
First, how many waking hours a day did the parents spend with their children?
Second, in the preparation for the separation, was the possibility of attachment disruption discussed with the parents? Were any specific policies in place to prevent attachment disruption?
Third, does anybody really believe that leaving your child with strangers in a strange place, and popping in when things get bad is a good idea?
Fourth, has any consideration been given to the possibility that airing the video of this experience on national TV will aggravate the impact on those children, make it a continued reality in their lives long after the initial experience is over?
And last, people keep saying that these children will not suffer long term ill-effects. And the supposed target audience is sexually active teenagers. So doesn’t that add up to teaching teenagers that it is OK to needlessly put your child in some similar situation in which the baby is enduring long term extreme distress?
I just want to say bravo! I myself was a teenage mom and had wished that someone opened my eyes. My daughter is now 18 and she and severeal of her friends need their eyes opened to realize it is not all lullabies and kisses. This is a great concept. I can’t wait for the next episode.
Kudos!!!! I thought the show was wonderful. I hope these kids wait before trying to have kids of their own. I was a teenage mom at 15 and it was no joke. I had to grow up over night. Between the age of 15 and 35 I never had a good night sleep. It wasn’t about me any more it was about my son.
Good show – very funny watching these teens freak out. As for the babies they won’t remeber a thing and will not be negatively effected for the rest of thier lives.
I have toddlers if these teens think babies were hard they are in for a real nightmare.
I’m a clinical psychologist. Babies don’t have to remember a separation for it to affect them profoundly for the rest of their lives. Watching your child on a monitor is not an adequate safeguard against emotional distress. The parents who loaned out their kids should be prosecuted.
Why does everyone think the babies will be harmed by this. Babies go to daycare everyday, get dropped off with grandparents, older brothers and sisters care for them, babysitters and nannies come in. What is so different here. There is actually more hands-on supervision by the parents than any of the circumstances listed above. Parents are allowed to let their little ones be cared for by other people. How skilled is your average 12 year-old babysitter compared to these tv-parents?
I really like this show, but I am disgusted by Alicea and her attitude. She and her parents should be horribly embarrassed by her behavior. Unfortunately, she represents much of our country’s youth. Disrespectful, undisciplined brats. She should never be allowed to be alone with any child.
Another girl ( the one who had the stomach ache when her boyfriend had to go to work ) also annoyed me. I’ve never seen so much “poor me” attitudes. Yuck! At least she seemed to come around a little in the end.
Great show and concept. I was concerned at first about the teens in the same bed, but then I realized there’s cameras everywhere and wondered if there was some sort of rule against it anyway. As far as baby seperation, it’s no different than the parents taking a vacation, only they can step in when they want to (and that gets funny), but I do think that may be some of the reason some of the babies were acting up….they missed mommy. They weren’t in any danger…the parents were close by watching and there were professional nannies in each of the houses (did y’all miss that part?). Alicea really gets on my nerves. Kelly did too with the whole pregnancy belly thing. But at least she got better…Alicea didn’t. And I’m ok with Kelsy because she learned a valuable lesson…she’s already admitted she’s not ready.
I’m still on the fence about this show. Some of these babies are clearly showing real anxiety and I’d never dream of allowing my children to be part of an experiment, especially for the likes of that chick Alicea. Puh-leeze.
I’m not sure this is any sort of deterrent to teen pregnancy, what with the cul-de-sac homes, stainless appliances, granite countertops, jobs starting at 9 am, and obvious maid service. (No one with a crying baby and a job keeps a house that clean and still has time to flat-iron her hair. No one.) It is a better lesson when the teen couple gets what they think is a “difficult” child. What if they had to parent an autistic child just to explore actual difficulty?
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