LAGUNA BEACH : Students Get Trial Run at Parenthood

Mike Hendricks and Kim Zehner waited nervously in the lobby of South Coast Medical Center for space to be cleared in the hospital’s maternity ward. Zehner fiddled with a baby blanket and pajamas while Hendricks calmed her with soothing words.

“I got these (clothes) off my doll,” said Zehner, a high school junior. “Yeah, we want to keep the baby warm,” added Hendricks before donning a flannel robe and accompanying Zehner down the long hallway to the maternity ward.

Just 45 minutes later, Zehner was wheeled out of the hospital with 5-pound identical twins, one on each arm--5-pound sacks of flour, that is.

The medical center distributed the flour sacks to 23 Laguna Beach high school students as part of a weeklong project to teach teen-agers the realities of parenthood.

The students, who are part of a decision-making class called Choices and Challenges, must keep their “flour babies” with them at all times and simulate the daily chores of parenting: changing diapers, buying supplies, finding child care and, of course, feeding.

“I want you to go home tonight and set your alarm for every two hours, because that’s when your baby will require feeding,” Kathy Higgs, a hospital staff member who leads real parents in prenatal exercises and parenting classes, told the students. “I also would like you to be up at 5 a.m. to start your day tomorrow morning.”

Higgs orchestrated Wednesday’s “birth” along with Laguna Beach High School teacher Art Smart and the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce. Tuesday, Higgs came to the students’ classroom wearing a borrowed maternity gown and gave students a first-person account of her pregnancy, as well as sample breathing exercises and other prenatal training. On the day of the delivery, students toured the maternity ward, viewing the obstetrics lab and the nursery where newborns are kept for observation.

While most high schools have similar parenting classes that involve eggs or other fragile objects, Smart said he decided to use the heavy sacks of flour to make a point about parenthood: It’s not all fun.

“Five pounds becomes cumbersome, especially for students who have cheerleading or track practice. It’s exciting now, but after the honeymoon wears off, then reality sets in,” Smart said.

In addition to carrying their offspring at all times on school grounds, students will also be required to research the cost of food, clothing, medical attention and child care, Smart said.

The unusual project elicited jokes and giggles from the class of seniors and juniors, but most students said that carrying the sacks of flour for the next week will be a valuable exercise.

“If I really had a kid, I’d probably have to drop out of school,” said 16-year-old Tom Wilkerson. “My parents wouldn’t like that too much.”

“It’s a little strange,” added Gordana Jurilj, an exchange student from Yugoslavia. “I think it’s really good having these classes.”