http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/progra...rs/index.shtml



Britain's teenagers are breeding like rabbits - can they be convinced to wait? We tool up five teenage couples for the toughest job of all - parenting.

Our series is packed with tears and tantrums as the teens get to grips with the reality of being 'grown-ups'. How will they cope with childcare and, more importantly, each other? Will they take to parenthood and adult life like a duck to water or run home to mum? Find out, when you meet the 'parents' in this unique social experiment.

'What have I let myself in for?!'
The couples, aged between 16 and 19 and itching for independence, will be given their own homes in a quiet street in Norwich. In their first week, they'll start real jobs and experience 'pregnancy'; being forced to wear simulation 'empathy bellies', attending ante-natal classes and preparing for the arrival of a child. The real thing will arrive at their doors very shortly...

Five mothers have agreed to entrust our teen couples with the most precious thing in the world - their babies. The teens will care for them for three long, arduous days. They'll have to stick to rigid routines, cope with feeding, their first nappy experience, and plenty of crying. There's tiredness, tantrums and tears aplenty - and mostly from the teen carers themselves.

As soon as the babies leave they are replaced by toddlers, one for each of our couples. It's a whole new ball game as they deal with Terrible Twos for three days. Pre-teens follow straight after - this is the first time our teens come across kids who can talk back! All come with pets, and one of the couples have to care for two siblings, while another couple care for three (and their flea-ridden dog)!

Three days later, our (late-teen) couples will care for young teens (12-14 year olds). Will it hold up a mirror to their relationships with their own parents? Finally, to complete the cycle of life, 'the grandparents' (elderly and infirm) move in. With their 80+ years of experience, care for the elderly will provide a different kind of education and a whole new set of life lessons for the young adults.

After one month of adult life on fast forward, what will our teens have found out? Will their relationships survive the unrelenting pressures? And what will it tell them about their readiness for adulthood?

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i feel sorry for the babies involved

watching now and yes there is a black couple in there too

Hey LadyDay,

I've watched some of the episodes....boy parenting is hard for most adults never mind as a teenager. I feel for all those who had children very young. The Nubian girl made me laugh in a way though with her frustrations at not being able to look after herself. Welcome to my world LOL.I really admired the way her partner stepped in to help out though. He seems so quiet and laid back but I find ibeing more relaxed really helps the babies settle.

It's good to see how the relationships change for them. Hopefully it is reality enough for them to wait a while.

those baby borrowing programs are rubbish, it does not entail real life and real changes, your child doesnt grow into a toddler nor a teenager over night, they grow over time and you get to grow with them, you learn how to cope and adapt to the situation as life changes, but it doesnt happen over night...

even pregnancy takes nine months, thats nine months to prepare...

lol didnt watch it.. lol missed it would have been fascinating... maybe it ondemand i will go and check later lol

those baby borrowing programs are rubbish, it does not entail real life and real changes, your child doesnt grow into a toddler nor a teenager over night, they grow over time and you get to grow with them, you learn how to cope and adapt to the situation as life changes, but it doesnt happen over night...

even pregnancy takes nine months, thats nine months to prepare...

lol didnt watch it.. lol missed it would have been fascinating... maybe it ondemand i will go and check later lol