Controversy Over The Baby Borrowers
You might have heard about a new show that NBC is working on called The Baby Borrowers. Think Wife Swap, but with infants. The Baby Borrowers premiers this Wednesday the 25th at 9/8c. I for one will not be watching, but my heart will be breaking for the young infants left to cry with strangers for days, unable to understand why their parents have abandoned them. Though the show’s producers claim that the parents will simply be next door and able to step in as needed, their children are not old enough to grasp this at all. As you might have guessed there are many people, myself included, who think this is a horrible idea. Taking an infant from their parents, the people he or she has created a deep bond with, and just handing them over to a total stranger. This is a good idea?
Luckily there are people speaking up on behalf of the children, the ones being tossed off for ratings. Jan hunt of the Natural Child Project has issued an open letter to NBC and is encouraging others to join her as well. She explains the psychological damage a show of this nature could cause on children too young to grasp what is happening. While the parents might be able to understand that this is only for a short time the children certainly will not.
Jan is not the only one speaking up. Attachment Parenting International has called for a cancellation of the show and has asked others to urge NBC to stop this as well.
June 24th, 2008 at 11:12 am
[...] over at Attached Mother is voicing up about this too. She’s not the only one, a person behind the scenes at the show [...]
June 24th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
The more education, the better, so hopefully this show helps to raise awareness about the growing issue of teen pregnancy.
June 25th, 2008 at 10:35 am
But why should the education come at the expense of the children involved? The same education could happen by inviting these teens to live in the parent’s home, and without hurting a child already delving into separation anxiety.
June 25th, 2008 at 11:50 am
I agree! The parents may feel better being right next door, but to the baby, they’re GONE, replaced by people who know nothing about caring for the needs of a baby, and aren’t sensitive to the special nuances of the particular baby in their care (which is the whole point of the show). Having the parents there and letting the teens watch and help would be just as effective, I think; they would still be shocked by the amount of work it takes to care for an infant, but it wouldn’t be a total train wreck at the baby’s expense. I love the idea of people–especially teens and judgemental non-parents who think they have all the answers–being able to see what it’s really like, but this isn’t the way to do it!
June 25th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
It amazes me the ammount of controversy that this show has created, I mean it’s only a TV show. And NBC isn’t stupid they would never put babies in harm. The parents can step in any time.
June 25th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
I’m gonna watch it, with my parents.
June 25th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
I agree this show is just wrong! NBC should be ashamed.
June 25th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
I am horrified by “The Baby Borrowers.” I struggled with whether to write about it myself or not because I did not want to give it more publicity, but I decided my little blog is a drop in the bucket, and more “drops” with a critical voice are needed!
The biggest problem by far is the separation of babies from their parents. These children were manipulated by adults the same way adopted children are, but the difference is that it is not done in the best interests of the child. NBC’s deceptive marketing is distasteful, but not in the same league as the main issue.
June 26th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
[...] and off to bed he went… while the joviality continued in the living room. I also watched “Baby Borrowers“…which may deserve a post of its [...]
June 26th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Yeah. It’s ONLY a TV show, they’re not REAL babies with REAL needs and REAL separation issues! /sarcasm.
That’s sick.