Designed to discourage teenage pregnancy, schools across the United States are giving students lifelike robot babies to experience the challenges of raising a child.
These baby dolls require feeding, burping and diaper changes, and like real infants, their crying follows no one’s schedule but their own.
The following story is about a Florida student, whose mom said was begging for help and “crying real tears” when she had to feed the screaming robot at 3 a.m. Keep reading to learn about this girls’ hilarious experience with the robot baby!
When 14-year-old Olivia Galloway took an Early Childhood Education parenting class, she hadn’t known her class grade depended on calming a screaming baby.
Students are given robot babies to take home for a weekend and when they’re returned, data is collected to determine whether the babies were provided a bottle or fresh diaper, hit or shaken, neglected or if its head went unsupported.
Schools aren’t intending to scare students from ever parenting, more so encouraging them to wait until after they’ve at least graduated high school.
Baby William
Lawren Galloway Ewing shared the story of her daughter Olivia and William, her interactive baby assignment for her Early Childhood Education class.
Olivia, who was 14 at the time, is the oldest of four siblings, including a six-year-old sister, four-year-old brother and a three-week-old newborn.
With all the children in home, one could expect Olivia would be a pro.
But she wasn’t.
“You would think that with all of her siblings that (Olivia) would have some kind of clue, but she was completely clueless,” Lawren told Today. “Just because a child grows up with siblings, it doesn’t mean they’re ready for parenthood at all.”
‘Crying real tears’
“Olivia has had William since Friday night. She is absolutely exhausted and ready to quit the class and give him back. (Maybe even throw him back!)” her mom wrote on Facebook. “It’s definitely been a learning experience.”
Lawren continued: “My favorite moment so far is when she came into my room last night around 3 am. She was crying real tears while feeding him his bottle. She was begging me to help her because she just wanted to get some sleep. Yeah, no.”
Her mom, amused by her daughter’s adventure with the baby, shared that Olivia couldn’t catch a break.
“On Sunday I made a big Southern-style dinner, and as soon as I set the table, the robot baby started crying. I’m telling you, it’s like it knew that Olivia was sitting down to have her dinner. She had to microwave her dinner three or four times because she had to feed the baby or burp the baby or rock the baby.”
Burping and broken neck
Lamenting over William’s refusal to burp, Olivia told Today: “It was horrible.”
She explained: “Sometimes I would just be crying in the middle of the night because it would not stop (crying). It also would not burp! It takes like 40 minutes of just hitting it in the back to get it to burp. Then it finally burps, and then 10 minutes later it wants to do the whole thing over again. I’m so tired.”
While the mom for a weekend was suffering serious exhaustion, William suffered a broken neck, seven times. “I have no clue how. I thought I did so well. I took care of that baby,” said the girl, who was given a failing grade for not rocking it when needed. Olivia also lost some points for an improper hold.
Baby John
Pleading with her teachers for a second chance, Olivia then used her newly acquired parenting skills to care for John.
Playing favorites, she said, “He’s definitely my favorite of the two babies because I got a 94 this time.”
Lawren said she’s thrilled the class with the robot babies is part of the school’s curriculum.
“I might have trusted her more before this,” Lawren quipped. “But I am proud of her. She did come through the second time around.”
Meanwhile, Olivia – now a 19-year-old student at South Georgia State College – was scarred from her experience. She said: “I don’t ever want to have kids because of that thing.”
What do you think of this story? Please share your thoughts with us and then share this story so we can hear what others have to say!
READ MORE
- Mom left baby daughter alone while she went on 10-day vacation – comes back to child starving to death
- Babysitter forced to call police after parents don’t return home on time
