Baby Think It Over – Should it be brought back?
Illustrations by Karine Lopez
A young girl walks around school, going in and out of classes anxiously. Her friends talk and laugh around her. Meanwhile, she silently thinks about a very big life decision she has to make soon….
She is pregnant. The big decision is whether she will keep the baby or not.
Bell High used to have a program called Baby Think It Over. In this program, students needed to take care of a baby doll for a week. That doll would be considered the student’s child and it was like a real life baby, with realistic computerized responses like feed it, change its diaper and carry it around. The student needed to have a wristband on in order for the baby to identify its parent. After a week the doll would be connected to a computer to see whether the student did a good job in being a parent.
Bell should bring back the Baby Think It Over program even though some people might think teen pregnancy is not an important issue right now on campus. By bringing this program back, it can help students make a firm decision on whether they want a baby or not because this program has students experience the feeling of being a parent for a week. The program lets them see if they are really ready..
This program can help students rethink their actions and become more responsible. It could help prevent teen pregnancy from becoming a problem again. It could also help young adults explore the physical, emotional, social, and financial consequences of teen parenthood.
Ms. Pickard ran the Impact program when the Baby Think It Over program was active. The Impact program helped students who were teen parents or who faced other challenges. She doesn’t see the need for a Baby Think It Over program now because, “there aren’t as many pregnant students now as there were back then.”
But if we bring back this program, perhaps teen pregnancy will not become an issue again.
Pickard stated, however, she does think the program worked. “A lot of students took it as a lesson,” Pickard said. “A lot of female students got on birth control.”
The program should take place either freshman or senior year. During freshman year students are starting high school and that is when the chances of risky behavior begin. Senior year is when some students might begin thinking about starting a family.
The program can make students ask themselves, do I really want to have a baby?
”My son took it home and he got to really feel what it’s like to have a baby and he didn’t like it,” Special Education Assistant Marcela Isordia said. “The baby’s can really make you change your mind. He is 31 and doesn’t have any kids.”
“I know many people who are pregnant or had an abortion, as well as taking a plan B,” stated a junior student in the Global Studies academy. Some students here at Bell might actually be considering getting an abortion, and this program could help students make this life-changing decision. And the program could help males and females later on in life if they do end up with a baby, because they already had practice with a baby doll.
Bell needs to bring back The Baby Think It Over program. We need it now.
Briana Garcia • May 28, 2023 at 4:00 pm
I used to think this was just an assignment that came out in TV shows so it’s really interesting to know Bell used to have it and it’s a real life assignment assigned to students. This just means that Ms. Pickard has been at Bell longer than I thought as well. I would honestly agree, because me as a young person wouldn’t want the burden of taking care of a baby and I am fortunate to not have to, but not all teenagers get so lucky. Reviving this program would help reduce teen pregnancy even further. It may even help in other areas depending on how students take the program. I’m a senior who will graduate in less than two weeks so it was very interesting to learn this new found info for me at least
Yara Ghacham Mrs. Vargas P.4 • May 26, 2023 at 12:59 pm
I think that this program should be brought back to Bell High school student. Not only would it give students a little bit of insight on how it would be to parent a child, but it would also be a little bit of fun for the students. This can help students understand the responsibilities that come with their actions.
Juan Garcia • May 25, 2023 at 11:59 am The Bell Chimes Pick
Amberly, thank you for this article. I didn’t know Bell High used to offer this program. I think it would be great if the program is back and offered to Bell High students. This program can continue helping students to think twice about their actions and become more responsible. Bringing this program can help students learn that it is not easy to become a teen parent, whether you are the mom or dad it is the same on both ends at the end of the day.
Juan Garcia
Ms. Castillo Period 3