Hey moms and dads-to-be, wondering what it’s really like to have a baby? Here’s one way to find out! Someone has invented a simulated infant, programmed to behave like a real baby! It’s main use, aside from teaching parenting skills, is to dissuate teenagers from getting pregnant. And I have little doubt that it works… After reading this article I can’t decide whether it’s the funniest or saddest statement about today’s society.

This computerized doll begins to whimper if left unattended or not handled properly, and is soon wailing loudly if the situation is not fixed.  Caring for the baby properly (feeding, burping, changing) as well as abusing it (shaking, holding upside down, neglect) are monitered by various computer chips inside the baby.  One student who took part in this week-long experiment said “I recommend it, because kids these days think it’s a cute thing to have a child and dress it in nice clothes. And I say, ‘You should do this, because it will probably change your mind.’” Another participant said he realized that “you have to build your activities around your baby.”

Even though your simulated infant can look like you, with five racial groups and six skin colors to choose from, it’s hardly the same as having your own child. This program focuses on the hassel, not the rewards, of having a baby.  You won’t be getting any sweet smiles or warm cuddles from this little machine, and without feeling any love and tenderness, caring for a baby 24-7 is is no fun at all. When it’s your own baby, the experience is very, very different!