Flour Sack Child

Teenage pregnancy

According to a Planned Parenthood, more than 1 million U.S. teenagers -- one in nine women aged 15 to 19 -- become pregnant each year. Whether or not the teenage mother decides to get an abortion or keep the baby is a personal decision on ethics. For the thousands of women who decide to keep the unplanned baby, have a tough road ahead of them as their are many health issues involving teenage pregnancy, various money struggles that effect some people, ethical controversies within family and friends, and emotional stress that has to be dealt with. It’s hard enough to take care of a baby when you’re mentally and physically ready and stable, but when you’re a vulnerable women between the ages of 12 and 20, without proper support from friends family or spouses, babies can change a life forever. 

The Flour Sack Baby Project

In order to demonstrate a powerful point regarding the difficulties with teenage pregnancy a interactive project was devised called the flour sack project. The Flour sack baby was devised to demonstrate the responsibility involved in managing a family which includes a baby. This project can be done with two people representing a spouse relationship to equal out the hardship or with a more difficult yet common single parent. The ideal purpose of this project is to gain the the realization of the commitment of time and energy it takes to have a child and the demands that a child makes on the parent/parents.

Regarding the Child

- This experiment will be done over the time of one week and will either be done between two people (spouse parents) or will be done by one person (single parent)

- Buy a sack of flour and decorate it creatively without damaging the flour inside or the paper bag it comes in. (You may draw on eyes and dress it.

        - Name the child and make a “mock” child certificate/ social insurance card.

- Carry around the child all day, every day for the next week. If you have important engagements such as work or sports practice, arrange for your spouse to take care of it or arrange for a daycare to care for it (parents)

- Keep a baby book log with you at all times in order to mark down when you “change the babies diaper” and “feed it”. (Writing down that you are caring for your baby over certain intervals of time)

- Set up a crib in your room and set the baby in it to sleep each night.