How often have you been guilty of seeing a student in the hall with a baby carrier and looking down at that fake baby, I know I am. But have you ever thought about how hard it is to take care of this baby? It is not even a real baby, so what makes it so hard and stressful to take care of? 

First, let’s talk to family studies teacher, Opal Stephens, about the significance of taking care of a baby. 

“It gives students a real-life experience with the infant simulator. And they learn to take responsibility for caring for a newborn,” Opal said.  

What Opal said is true, having a way for teens to take responsibility for another human and learn what parenting is really like is essential. Having to take care of a fake baby let alone a real one is hard work. I know after just 8 hours of baby babysitting with this fake baby it made me so tired. Though this experience is exhausting, you can learn many skills such as “changing their diaper, and feeding them…along with the physical aspects of holding and loving them.” Opal said. A big part of taking care of the baby is how many times you have to feed it, burp it, and then just cuddle with it. All of this stuff combined is what makes the day tiring. 

The major appeal of taking family studies is to take care of the baby, but the most common misconception is “…that it won’t be that bad. And that it will be easy.” Opal said. Yes, while the appeal has been there for most students, some also take the class to learn how to care for a child and when you get pregnant. So the baby helps with learning how to do that. 

Along with learning skills and misconceptions, a helpful tip is to be aware of your schedule and whether it fits in with the craziness that is your teenage life. So if you happen to be taking this class next year you know more going into it.