If you aren't keeping up with The Baby Borrowers, it's the reality show where teenage couples take care of other people's kids to get a feel for what it's really like to be parents. My favorite part of the show from last week was when the babies were returned to their parents. After all, they didn't ask for the assignment, and it was a pretty tough one. A couple of the teenage girls demonstrated some just plain whiny, "poor me" attitudes that were painful to watch. I wanted to go in and take over the care of the babies myself. I don't know how the real parents were able to restrain themselves.
My next favorite part was where some of the parents admitted seeing some of themselves in the actions of the frustrated teens. Such honesty is refreshing because it's hard to admit that being a parent can sometimes cause us to act like children ourselves. Working with children requires a great deal of patience and love.
This week's show was the toddler experience. I was once again struck by the lack of patience and determination on the part of some of the teens. It makes me wonder if some of these teens will improve with age. Adulthood does not automatically prepare people for parenthood.
Working with children is not easy. As parents and as teachers, we never know what we are going to get. Some kids are just easier than others. One of my teacher friends has a daughter who is always a pleaser and seldom does anything to warrant even a slight reprimand. My friend thought that all kids were like her daughter before she started teaching. No wonder she looked at our team funny when we discussed our discipline plan. She had never needed one.
It's interesting to see how these teens are dealing with children. Some of them need an attitude adjustment. With just a little bit of constructive criticism, they are ready to quit. Children deserve a lot more than that.