RAT or ROT

Regular and irregular readers of this blog probably recognize a theme - I don't care for ill-behaved and ill-mannered children.

In fact, I also hate crying and screaming babies.

A student of mine was discussing a new way of introducing high school students to babies and baby-rearing. Remember health class when you would be issued a bag of flour or sugar and asked to "raise" it for a week? We didn't actually do this in our high school, as I recall, but I think they may have done it on an episode of the Brady Bunch.

Now, they have "dolls" that simulate babies. I guess you are issued a "baby" and asked to raise it for whatever time frame. I guess it cries in the middle of the night, burps, spits up, poops, etc. I guess.

I would like to propose a different program - Rent A Tot (RAT) or Rent Our Tot (ROT). Parents could let a high school student borrow their child for even just a night. I think it would go a long way toward educating children about sex, birth control, and babies, without actually mentioning any of those things, per se. I think federal dollars could be allocated to this in any administration (Republican or Democrat) since there isn't talk of birth control and no talk of sex.

Hell, I would think watching a baby for the night would be birth control for me.

In fact, when I went on an RV trip with my family this summer, we had two young boys and 2 teenage girls in the RV. I told my now husband that not only was this birth control, I may never want to have sex again - just in case!

So I think that if students were able to rent an actual tot, it would be more effective than a doll.

And I think that many parents would be more than willing to rent their tots out for the night - or for a week.

Anyone?