Virtual Baby - my teen has got one for the weekend

[lawstudentmum]

My daughter is being given the virtual baby from the school at the weekend. so sleepless nights for us.
If anyone is interested in how it goes I think we are going to film the best bits and post up.

Hopefully this will give other parents an insight if they are thinking of doing the same - I will keep you all updated over the weekend on how it is going.

Has anyone else had the virtual baby?

I think she might... that they are not looking after him well enough

She was in the shower and asked if I would keep an eye on him - after 5 mins she ran down the stairs shouting did I hear him crying - no I said, but she took him with her.

Thanks for posting this too :) I remember reading about them when I was a teenager and wanting one! I had DS at 20 so maybe I should have

I must admit I don't understand why she wouldn't have been able to stay at the BBQ with a real baby though? I always found DS very portable when he was tiny.

Yeah I agree now looking back - it was fine - that she was out with the baby, but she knows that the time she should be home is 10:30pm and she was an hour late, which had caused me to worry. And it meant that she was tired for the night feeds as she only got an hour sleep before the baby woke up.

But that was me just being a nagging mum - Reflecting back I should of just let her make her own decision on it and not get angry.

I am finding it hard to let go at the moment in general and know how much to let her do - it seems to be a fine old line. The being there when she needs me but letting her make her own decisions!!

Her having this baby has made me see her in a different light - she is alot more grown up than maybe I had given her credit for. So it has been a learning curve for the two of us.

i'm impressed with how the whole thing has made her & you think.

Well the end ! She has taken Teddy the VB back to school - through floods of tears and with her best friend to do the handing over

In conclusion has it taught her anything - yes, how to care for something other than herself, what lack of sleep does to a person, how she has grown up in the last three days, how she feels different, and THAT SHE DOES NOT WANT A BABY (well for now anyway)

Has it taught me anything - yes, that my dd is growing up fast, that I have done a good enough job with her, what lack of sleep does to a person, and THAT MAYBE I DO WANT A BABY again around the house - I better have a word with my husband!! I miss that old Virtual baby. Bye Teddy

Thanks all

See you around.

lawastudent, am chortling at the virtual baby making you broody. That is not how it is supposed to work!

I have a half-sister who is 14 years younger than me. I didn't have ds until I was 34. These facts may be connected - lovely as my sister is, teenage exposure to a real baby/toddler/small child meant I knew exactly how hard it is!

Edam probably not connected - I have a half-brother 14 years younger and if anything that's when my broodiness amplified. He didn't live with me though as it was on my Dad's side so possibly I didn't get the whole picture.

It is hard when they grow up - i miss the little girl that used to follow me around everywhere and was interested in me. Now I am just a thing to tidy up, pick up at 11 pm and make sure the dinner is on the table !!

Anyway better go and hoover - and then get on with my revision for my law exams which is only two weeks away - do you think I could use the excuse that I was spending time on Mumsnet ! ( that is enough to do at the moment, without a baby...or is it...)

Bertie - clearly worked the other way round for you, then! Definitely put me off teenage motherhood. Littlest sister didn't live with us older siblings but I was involved enough to see what hard work it was (as well as adoring her, of course). I had always been the sort of kid who looks after other younger children anyway, so I didn't have any romantic ideas about babies being sweet and cuddly and no trouble at all in the first place.

I don't think I had any ideas about babies being no trouble at all, I definitely wasn't surprised when I had DS, I've found it harder to get to grips with running a house - perhaps I would always have been broody/maternal whatever happened. TBH if I hadn't been with XP I think I would have waited longer. He's getting a reputation! "New" gf is younger than me, was pregnant (planned ) a matter of days into their relationship, and it looks like they might split up now just over a year later. I'm making bets with his mum now. I reckon the next gf will be younger again, naive and pregnant within the first 6 months to a year and he'll get away without paying maintenance for any of his string of bastard children.

law, fantastic real life as it happens posting, made me laught until i cried read it out to my collegues at work and they all agreed it is wonderful snippet of feelings from both sides should be a MN classic reminded me of flour babies years ago on jackanory of all places, i think you will be wasted in a career in law you should take up writing for a living imho

Thank you very much - I really enjoyed writing it. Loads of fun.

If anyone interested these are the films that we did of dd looking after the virtual baby - Enjoy them x

www.youtube.com/user/educationrecycle1?feature=mhum#p/u

What a fantastic thread. I'm on holiday at a family resort ATM and as a mum of a 2.6yo have been a bit by the Years of parenting ahead of me, seeing families all chatting together and realizing that's a really long wAy away... This virtual baby sounds like a great idea to get kids talking and thinking about becoming a parent. Really good to hear yr dd connected with Teddy! I have to confess that my first thought was that there should be some kind of virtual pregnancy - I'm pg ATM and am so fed up with it all already, hacked off with back pain, endless trips to loo, nausea, random pain, disgusting spots on my chest, tiredness and never feeling comfortable. And only more sleepless nights to come! No doubt a teen would not manage a weekend of it...

Hi painfullyhonest - Hey, I feel for you ! But all I can say is now looking back at it all, I miss those days of dd being younger, I was a single parent when she was younger and had no family, so was on my own - but I wish that I had let myself enjoy those times more, because believe me they go so quick in the scheme of things. I know it doesn't feel like it now, but it will - I think it is when they start school that time speeds up, because it starts going in terms. Your life becomes 6 week terms...

They should make different VB ones, that you can go up the scale of stress levels - e.g. twins, pg whilst looking after a younger one, a 2 year old, and then a teenager one,

you know the teenager one could sleep all day, eat you out of house and home, lie to you about where it is going and come home 3 hours after the time you said they had to be home!!!

Also. just a thought - could they make a virtual husband to go with the Virtual baby - now that would be stressful.

Good luck painfullyhonest x

This has been really fascinating, thank you (and your lovely DD) for sharing the experience. My own DD is a little way off the teenage years (she turns 2 in July), but I am pregnant again and this has really brought back the newborn stage which I have been trying to downplay in my mind! I don't think I'm prepared and I've done it all before!