I don’t even know where to start with last night’s episode of the Baby Borrowers: Daton’s admission that Morgan doesn’t help him become the better man he wants to be, Alicea and Cory’s amazing aplomb with a house full of strange kids (including the demonic Hannah), the fact that Sasha actually stuck it out after last week’s meltdown, or the vegetarian kids that kept harping on Kelsey about her horrendous eating habits. It was an eye-opening episode to say the least.

I guess I’ll begin with Cory and Alicea, since I am really impressed with the way they handled everything that was thrown at them. First of all, they had to take care of the spoiled rotten Hannah and her poor little sister. Many people have already commented on what possibly lead to that bratty disposition, so there’s no need for me to reiterate, but I will say that Cory was fantastic in his handling of Hannah’s disrespectful behavior and temper tantrums. Alicea also deserves kudos for keeping her temper in check and just generally being a lot more mellow and involved with the process.

I really thought the spontaneous sleepover would break her, but I am glad she proved me wrong. She and Cory did a great job fashioning makeshift sleeping bags for the kids, and they even bedded down on the couch next to the kids to keep an eye on things.

The preview for next week’s episode said that one of the teens is definitely going home, but I think Alicea and Cory will see this through to the end. I think if anything, Morgan will probably leave, since she isn’t really taking the experiment seriously and it is starting to effect Daton’s feeling for her. Good thing I am already hooked on this show, so I am sure I’ll be tuning in again next week to catch the fireworks.

It was potty training with toddler time on The Baby Borrowers last night, leaving the teens grimacing and gagging their way through 3 days of disgusting sights and smells on pretty much every surface of their homes. Fun times!

While last night’s episode of The Baby Borrowers has all kinds of difficult-to-watch moments (many involving the utterly clueless Daton and Morgan), I was most disturbed by Sasha’s complete and total profanity-strewn meltdown at the end of the episode. Everyone in the neighborhood heard it, so I am pretty sure little Luke heard it, and I think that upset me more than watching Morgan drag the kid with the dirty diaper off the couch. ( I have seen plenty of parents drag mid-tantrum kids down aisles of Toys-R-Us, and those kids were fine, so I don’t really see the big deal here.  The kid even seemed to enjoy it.  Though it’s not something you want happening every day, of course.)  Sasha’s meltdown was on par, however, with Morgan not wiping the poop off the baby before re-diapering him: whatever baby Luke heard may linger with him longer than a poop-induced rash, and might be just as painful. Kids are little sponges, Sasha - they absorb everything, so watch what you say and how you say it!

The previews from next week’s episode show Sasha with her bags packed and ready to go, but I hope in spite of it all she sticks it out until the end. She does have a way with kids in general. And to Sasha’s credit, I thought she might be in trouble with Luke from the moment his mom started telling them how easy and fuss-free he is, how if they just lay down with him, he’ll go to sleep etc. It was a little too much “My son is perfect” and hinted that no matter what Sasha did, she was not going to be good enough for this mom’s tastes. However, as good as I think Sasha can be with kids, her response to criticism from Luke’s mom was WAY over-the-top and immature. She definitely needs to get that in check. Kudos to her boyfriend Jordan for stepping in and defusing the situation, though.

I am really looking forward to next week’s episode: pre-teens and pets, including a snake. Should be good! I hope Sasha sticks around!

I have to admit I am little shocked to see all the news about The Baby Borrowers. Opinions of the show vary wildly, but there is no doubt it is getting a lot of attention. Here’s a rundown of the sometimes pun-infused headlines:

• guardian.co.uk: Baby Borrowers: US version a hit
• The New York Times: Baby on Board for NBC
• Variety: Solid bow for ‘Baby Borrowers’
• Boston Herald.com: Teens say ‘Baby’ barely delivers
• Washington Post: A Case of Stolen Formula: ‘Baby Borrowers’ Follows The Reality Show Playbook
• Media Life: NBC’s ‘Baby Borrowers’ debut delivers
• The Boston Globe: There’s much to cry about in NBC’s ‘Baby Borrowers’

It’s definitely controversial. But if this show saves a few people from having to buy a Pack ‘n Play as a high school graduation gift, it can’t be all bad.

I caught the premier of The Baby Borrowers last night and I really enjoyed it. It put my mind at ease to see how on top of things the baby’s parents are, and to see them step in and talk to the teenage Baby Borrowers, because frankly, some of those teenagers are really immature for their age. I was actually surprised by the way some of them carried on, like the attitude Alicea took when baby Carson’s mom came in to give some much-needed instruction. News flash, Alicea - it’s not your baby, you aren’t entitled to that attitude. I LOVE that she decides she needs to be the one to get a job because she can’t handle Carson’s mom’s “attitude.” Good lord that girl is in for the shock of her life. Because now she will still have to deal with Carson, and the next kid, and the kid after that, in addition to now being the primary breadwinner - with a minimum wage job. Have fun with that, Alicea.

Kelly is another story altogether. It’s like putting on the pregnant belly suit that she has to wear for all of one day somehow infuses her with a mega-dose of pregnancy hormones that turn her into a blubbering mess. Either that or she is cripplingly insecure. Jezebel has a great clip of the meltdown; perhaps someone else can make more sense of it than I can. Her poor boyfriend certainly can’t.

Some concerns have been raised over whether or not The Baby Borrowers will really reach the audience it can most benefit, namely teenagers and young adults, but I don’t know if I necessarily agree. True, the televised version is not as “slick” as many teens are used to, but I think the clips making it online will get decent viewing from that demographic.

There are also some bitterly negative assessments of The Baby Borrowers, but I think they are a bit overblown, as I have said before. I started babysitting officially at age 13, sometimes for 12 hour clips, and was doing shorter stints from age 12. The girls in The Baby Sitter’s Club books are 11-12 years old. This is not unheard of in the world, because maturity is not dependent on age. It’s based on experience and an evolving sense of personal responsibility. What I think The Baby Borrowers really reveals is that some members of the MySpace/YouTube generation have never been put into roles of increasing responsibility in their lives, and that is what they are so mis-informed when it comes to understanding the responsibilities of parenthood and adult life. The girls on The Baby Borrowers break down under the slightest stress of things like having to wear a pregnancy suit because they have never learned that responsibility means sometimes having to suck it up and do something you’d rather not do because it needs to be done. But hopefully that is one lesson they will learn by the end of this season.

Here’s a reality show I can actually get behind:NBC’s The Baby Borrowers takes real couples, aged 18-20, and basically gives them a 3 week boot camp in the responsibilities of parenthood. The couple is set up in a house in Boise, ID, one partner needs to get a job, and they are “loaned” a 6-11 month old baby for three eye-opening and often emotionally exhausting days. Then the baby is taken away, and they are left with a toddler for 3 days. The cycle continues, getting more difficult every three days as the children get older (as old as teenagers) and pets and old people are added to the fray. After all the news about Jamie Lynn Spears and the high school pregnancy pact in Massachusetts, I think it’s great for teen couples to get a chance to see what parenthood is really, really like before the jump into it with both feet.

Some people have a lot of problems with the concept for The Baby Borrowers, and I can understand that on some level. I don’t think I would want random teenagers that I know nothing about man-handling my offspring, either, and I certainly wouldn’t allow it to be televised. I would think, though, that there is some sort of vetting process that goes on prior to casting to ensure that the children will be safe with these teens. Some of the concerns are really far-fetched as well. For example, a ten year old in the British version of the show apparently said he didn’t eat all day because the teenagers in charge of him “forgot” to feed him. Ummmmm….yeah. Unless that kid has some developmental problems, he’s just lazy. I know plenty of 10 year olds that would at least take that opportunity to binge on chips and cookies and snack food, if not make themselves a sandwich. Or would have been whiny brats until someone actually fed them. Or would have taken money out of one of the teenagers’ wallets and ridden their bike to McDonald’s and bought themselves a Happy Meal. But they would get fed. And frankly, I think the concerns about the kids in the show developing “issues” from this experience are way overblown. Kids get left with babysitters and other caregivers all the time, sometimes for 3 days in a row, and usually it’s a bigger deal for the mom than it is the kids. If the parents are always leaving the kids with random people, I could see the kid having some problems. But if it is for 3 days, and the parents have video baby monitors set up right next door and can step in at any time, I think they’ll be fine.

At any rate, The Baby Borrowers starts Wednesday, June 25th at 9PM on NBC, if you want to check it out.