ALEXPRESS
Inspiring Expression of Creativity Since 1967
I Should Have Bought You Flours By Kristen van der Westhuizen
As I'm sure many people know, parenting is no joke. This was proved to the grade 11 students as they had to spend two weeks, with or without a partner, caring for a bag of flour that doubled as a baby. They had to bath, feed, clean, change, play with and entertain the baby, sharing the duties between their partners and themselves. When the pressure got too much or one of the partners could not see to it that the baby was being taken care of, the parents had the option of giving the child to a babysitter.
The point of the project was to highlight the responsibility that comes along with having a baby. Some of the grade 11's realised how big a job it was to find time to stick to all of their own commitments while sharing their time with a baby, while others just got irritated with having to carry another item with them. One of the Grade 11 pupils said: “It was a fun project to begin with but after the first week, I would say the responsibility of having to look after the baby really kicked in, and so did the discouragement of teenage pregnancy.�
Most of the girls were in their element while handling their child, being able to name it, carry it around and most of all, co-ordinate its wardrobe. Mind you, the boys weren't too shy in showing their impressive 'Daddy skills' either. While the project might have highlighted aspects of how much of a challenge it is to have a child, especially in your teenage years, I don't think it could ever prepare you for the real deal. I think I speak for all when I say those 2 weeks were more than enough time to realise that we are nowhere near equipped enough to take on the challenge that is raising a baby!
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