I hate reality shows.  I always have and up until last night I thought I wouldn’t be caught dead watching one.

NBC’s The Baby Borrowerswas alternately entertaining and horrifying.  The “teen” parents were thrust into a family situation complete with sympathy pregnancy bellies.  Complaining and whining abounded after only having to wear the strap on bellies for a very short period of time.  I can’t imagine these girls coping with a real pregnancy with vomiting, joint pain, random leaks, having head shoved in your pelvis with feet driving into your ribs…fun times that can’t be replicated with a faux pregnancy belly.

I did feel badly watching those poor babies crying as the “parents” struggled with attempting to soothe them.  How the real parents sat by I don’t know, I could never do it.  I think I would’ve been intervening for every tear.  I’m going to take a guess that they haven’t ever helped with a real baby in their lives, ever.  Babysitting might be a nice start for them…but not my kid.

The only teen who really got under my skin was Alicea.  Her complete lack of immaturity was shown so beautifully it was shocking.  After being spoken to by her baby’s mother about giving up on the poor kid eating (I believe her comment was “Fine, don’t eat then”…not really an option in real life) she opted to leave the baby in the sole responsibility to her boyfriend.  She was upset that the mother spoke to her “like that” and she didn’t want anything to do with “it” (the baby) anymore.

The other thing that bothered me throughout the show was the continuous referral to those babies as “its”.  It can just cry.  It isn’t happy.  It doesn’t want…blah blah blah.  They aren’t ITS…they are little people who are loved and cherished and who were entrusted to those teens.  They all have names, try those and if you are incapable of remembering the name try he or she.

I am looking forward to the next episode.  It’s like a train wreck, you just can’t look away.