The Baby Borrowers Interview: A baby-loaning mother and teen “parent” sound off on the hit TV show, on Babble.com
A baby-loaning mother and teen "parent" sound off on the hit TV show.
Natalie Nichols is a parent who allowed Love Productions, the company behind the show, to ‘borrow’ her two children – who were two years and six months old at the time of filming – to be watched over, temporarily, by a teen couple. Natalie has two other children ages thirteen and eight, and lives outside of Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband, who works for the government.
How did you get involved in the show?
The casting agent contacted me through my MySpace page. I guess they saw the photos and the background story.
What is your background story?
I was a teenage mom on purpose, I thought I knew everything and moved out when I was sixteen and still a student. I got pregnant on purpose and got married really early – I was married at eight months pregnant. I was a good kid, didn’t drink or anything like that. But after my parents suddenly decided they didn’t like my boyfriend, it sparked a rebellion in me. So I said, I’ll show them.
It didn’t turn out so well. I wasn’t emotionally prepared at all. My older son is now thirteen and he got the brunt of the deal. He heard us arguing constantly and yelling at each other, and neither one of us was ready to be a parent. So I thought it would be a good opportunity to help other girls not go down the same road.
It sounds like there was a legitimate reason for you to do the show.
For me, just changing one girl’s life was enough. The teens that had our children were Sean and Kelsey, and Kelsey wanted to have a child at eighteen. She reminded me of me when I was that age. She wanted to prove to her boyfriend that she could do it, but I kind of think she wanted to prove to herself as well. It’s a perfectionist mindset. I thought it was good. I’ve gotten numerous letters from other girls who’ve also said that it’s been meaningful for them.
Can you see yourself helping more teens?
I’m hoping that this will open up other opportunities. I’ve never been in a position to speak publicly. I honestly and truly am doing this to help others. I really don’t think this is an entertainment program. It’s a bit entertaining, but that’s how you get kids to watch. The parents are watching as well. And all the controversy is a good thing.
Was it difficult being on set?
The parents went three days with each child. I was on set about seven days. I didn’t find it hard. I co-slept with Etta at home, but then I didn’t see her for three days on the set except through the monitors. I pumped milk every night. The teenagers did not sleep with the kids. Nothing was staged. Because of editing it may look that way. I stayed awake for almost three days. Etta was so young, I could not sleep. It is part of being a mom.
Were your children treated properly?
The two-year-old got a diaper rash and the producer completely halted production. A paramedic was called and I was called in and the producer consulted me about the diaper rash. You don’t get that at a daycare center.
Did you have to intervene at all?
I did go over twice, but more as a mentor for the teens. I guess I gave them a bit of tough love. They just were not getting it. Sean had mentioned that maybe they could just let Etta cry. I think the scared straight idea is just what they needed, so that’s what I gave them.
About the Author
C.W. Thompson
C.W. Thompson is a writer based in Brooklyn who's had work published in a variety of media outlets. His baby is now a toddler, which he finds hard to believe.
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6 thoughts on “The Baby Borrowers Interview: A baby-loaning mother and teen “parent” sound off on the hit TV show, on Babble.com”
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I’m sure that the Town Hall will end all warm and fuzzy with everyone seeing the light and agreeing that it really was best to do the show. I personally, think it was a horrible idea. No matter how the parents were involved, I cannot imagine leaving my children in the care of teenagers just to prove a point. There are many other ways to get this point across. And the show did not paint a realistic picture, anyway. Teenage parents are not likely to live in such nice, already baby-proofed houses, with nice cars, and plenty of money to buy whatever you need at the store. No matter how the actual parents justify it, it is quite traumatic for an infant/toddler to be put in such a situation.
Traumatic? If the parents were always nearby, and the kids got to see them at night, I don’t see how this is that different than leaving your kids with a sitter or at a day care center.
To suddenly take a child away from parents and given to strangers for three days? That’s a bit much for the younger babes and tots. Not all parents are in a big rush to push their children off onto daycare and sitters. Especially not for that many hours in the day.Did the children stay with their parents at night? Or only “get to see them?” If the teens weren’t doing night duty, how is this a realistic image of what parenting is actually like? I wonder if any teens came away thinking, “Oh, that wasn’t so bad. What was all the fuss about?” I fail to see how that situation was very persuasive.
Craig,I apologize, but I can’t find your phone number to just let you know this personally, and I don’t have your email address. You quote me as having said that I co-slept with my daughter in the same paragraph that discusses the teens on set with her. I would like for you to clarify that Etta was a co-sleeping infant normally, not that she co-slept with me on the set. I did not see her for the entire 3 days, other than through the closed-circuit camera monitor in my room. I did say that I co-slept, but with the way it is condensed here, it appears that I was saying that she slept with me and then went back to the teens, and that is not the case. Two other minor details are incorrect as well. I went over to the teens’ house two times, not once. Also your captions under the photos of Etta have my name as Nicole when it should be Natalie. That is a common mistake with the last name of Nichols apparently, I get it all the time. If you need to, you can give me a call or email me to verify that I am who I say I am, I just couldn’t find a “contact us” link on your site anywhere.Thanks!Natalie Nichols
APMama,We don’t need the town hall meeting to know that this was the right thing to do. There is no light to see. We served a very great purpose by participating, period. For the record, it’s quite traumatic for most babies/toddlers to have their diapers changed, for their parents to leave their side to shower or use the restroom, etc. But they still develop into well-adjusted individuals, they just have clean parents to show for their trouble.
Natalie, Thanks for the feedback, and for your thoughtful interview! We made those changes. If anyone ever spots any errors, please email me or Gwynne and we’ll fix it asap. Thanks! ada@babble.com