It is that time of year again.

School has started again after a long holiday break and the halls are filled with seniors carrying babies. These “babies” are actually dolls with sacks of flour attached to them, for added weight. For a week, swaddling, feeding and diapering become a part of the everyday language of Hawthorne High School’s seniors. Many go all out and dress their baby dolls. Everything must be documented in a baby journal, which is later turned in for a grade. As the week dwindles to a close, many seniors reflect on their experiences as “new parents.”

Senior Lara Bookholt reflected on this “new parent” status by stating, “It was an awesome experience…I got the sense of responsibility that comes with having to take care of a child, while carrying on with my daily life.”  Senior Erika La Monaca also remarked, “It was difficult having to carry around a ‘baby’ while also carrying around books, jackets, etc. This project definitely gave me a taste of the responsibilities and difficulties that you encounter as a parent.”

The babies are just one part of a larger family life project that entails finding a spouse, selecting a career and creating a financial budget. The purpose is to give seniors a taste of what the real world is like. It is clear that those who participated in the project now look at marriage and parenthood much differently than they did before.