There are many teens today who are getting pregnant at young ages. More and more of them are at the ages of 13 to 17 years old. We can’t stop these teens from having sex, but we can help them realize how easy it is to get pregnant, and that once you are pregnant, how hard it is to raise a baby at such a young age.

During the Child Studies course I took in grade 11, we each took turns caring for a child simulator – a doll that looks, sounds and acts like a real infant. When I took the baby home with me, I had it on the weekend, and I had to deal with it waking me up throughout the night. I had to learn what each cry meant, and take care of it. I had to feed it, change it, rock it, and burp it. Sometimes, just like a real baby, it would cry for no reason. Sometimes it would last a few minutes, but one time it lasted well over an hour.

It was frustrating at times, but it had to be done, not just so I would get a good mark (I don’t even remember what it was), but for when I have a child of my own someday. I’ll need to stay calm and take care of a real baby, no matter how frustrated I get, and I got frustrated with this baby. I couldn’t get it to stop crying and I was tired, but I got it together, and eventually I was able to care for it very quickly, knowing exactly what it needed every time. I knew what each cry meant, and I took care of it.

Even though I wouldn’t go through it again, I still recommend this course to anyone who has it at their school, and if you don’t, you should talk to your principal and see if you can get it as part of the curriculum. When I took this course, it wasn’t mandatory, I chose to take it. However, I think schools should have it as part of the curriculum, and make it mandatory because it is an experience everyone should have. It helps you further prepare for the reality of life, because most of you will probably want to have children someday, and even though there isn’t anything that will make you the perfect parent, this course will help you learn more about taking care of children, and how difficult it is. It was worth it for me, and it will be for you too!