March Madness!
 So, did March come in like a lion or a lamb? If you live in the nation’s mid-section you may still be recovering from the effects of torrential rain, blizzards or damaging winds. Hang in there; Spring was official just yesterday!
If you know any basketball players, you might be cheering on your team to state right now. Go team! If you are like some of the Irish folks we know, you might still be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day*. Go green! And if you weren’t paying attention to the ‘ol Daylight Savings Time switcheroo, you might be one hour late for everything. In that case, just go! |
| |
Adoption Counselor Uses Infant Simulator to Help Expectant Mother Make a Good Choice
 “I am an adoption counselor with Christian Adoption Services, a non-profit licensed child-placing agency located in North Carolina. We recently received a telephone call from a 21-year-old woman who was six months pregnant and struggling with her decision of whether to parent her child or choose adoption.”
“After meeting with Sarah (not her real name) we learned that she had suffered some devastating losses in her life. She had been diagnosed with schizophrenia during her pregnancy. Her support, which included her mother, mental health case worker and boyfriend, all believed it was best for Sarah to choose adoption in order for her to focus on her mental illness. We tried the typical ways to get Sarah to understand the realities of being a parent, but to no avail.”
“As her due date approached, we learned that our home office had a RealCare® Baby II that had been purchased with a grant a couple of years ago. The baby was shipped to our office without all of the needed programming information. I truly struggled to get her programmed; however, my 14-year-old son came home from school that day and within a matter of minutes, our baby was ready for use! We were still missing the instructional guide that was needed to leave with Sarah. On the day we were to meet with Sarah to take her the baby, I made an early morning call to the product support department at Realityworks and I was faxed a guide within a short period of time. The gentleman that assisted me was so helpful and genuinely concerned that I get the guide immediately.”
“We met with Sarah to give her the baby and she seemed quite excited. None of our counseling techniques had excited her quite like this baby. She confided at that time that she had never cared for a baby and really did not know what it would be like. We advised that the baby had been custom-set and that this first day was set to “easy”. She seemed a little nervous, but off she went. Within three hours, Sarah called us to say that she was really struggling and was tired of the crying. She said the RealCare® Baby helped her realize she is not ready to be a parent. Sarah proceeded to make an adoption plan for her daughter with a couple who can meet all of the real baby’s needs without worry. Sarah and her support team are so thankful for Realityworks, because it really does work!”
“If we win this contest, we would then be able to have a Realityworks Baby in both of our offices without the expense of shipping. I’m certain the typical use for your product is to prevent pregnancy. However, we work with girls who are already pregnant. I believe it is even more critical to help our clients decide if they are ready to be a mother because a child’s life is already at stake.”
-- Sheryl Naylor, Christian Adoption Services, Rocky Mount, North Carolina
http://www.christianadopt.org/
|
| |
More March Madness: Is That a Basketball or is Janie Pregnant?
 “Last year in Child Development each student had to take a baby home for a weekend. Our school had been having a great year in sports. We were going to the semi-state tournament in basketball. If you were from Indiana you would understand the gravity of this. They don't call it ‘Hoosier Hysteria’ for nothin’.”
“Everyone was fired up to go. On Saturday, I, of course went to the game. I was sitting there waiting for the first period to start and one of the mothers nudged me and asked me when Jane (one of the students) had a baby. I just looked at her like she was crazy. But I turned around and there was Jane, sitting with one of the Realityworks Babies in the pep block. (All of the mothers nearby thought it was real). I explained to the women that it was not a real baby but an assignment.”
“We went on to win and the Baby was flying all over. It was even out on the gym floor with the students as they were cutting down the net.”
Editors note: Our Babies don’t fly, but our engineers are intrigued by the possibilities. We understand that Janie was caught up in the excitement and that everywhere she went, Baby went, just as a real baby would.
-- Jane Siepman, Shakamak High School, Jasonville, Indiana
|
| |
Our Student-Users Say...
Ever wonder what it’s like to be a participant in an infant simulator program? We get feedback from young people, too! Thanks to those who took the time to write in. These responses will be entered in the Share Your Story contest on behalf of their schools. So keep those letters coming from program participants... they could win free Realityworks products for your organization, too!
“For the past two semesters I was in a Child and Parenting class. We had to take care of a baby for three days and two nights. We also had to wear a pregnancy belly for 3 1/2 hours. Well, this past semester my friend took the class with me. After taking care of the baby and wearing the belly, she was glad she wasn't a parent right now. Same with me and the other students.”
-- Samantha
“My family and I moved to a small town called Covington, Kentucky toward the middle of the school year. By the time I was registered at Holmes High School, it was basically too late to choose which classes I actually wanted. So my school counselor signed me up for child development. I loved kids and was excited to learn more about human development.”
“The teacher warned all of the students that we would have a huge project that will ultimately determine a large percentage of our grade near the end of the year. No one seemed worried... until that time came. We were each given Baby Think It Over dolls to take care of like real babies. Even with the Baby Think It Over doll in my hands I really didn’t think it was a big deal. But later I had to go to work. A few people I knew at school offered to babysit for me. But I didn’t know if I could fully trust them with the baby. I just decided to take the baby to work with me.”
“It was a harsh day. But since Covington is such a small town, every one of my customers knew me. And they would all ask questions about the Baby Think It Over doll. I felt like a teacher by educating them about the doll was like a real baby. Eventually, a lot more people knew about the doll. Almost all of my friends decided to take child development the next school year. And I made a definite decision that I would not have any children until I feel secure with my life. :)”
-- Danielle
Do you have a story to share? You can be entered in the contest along with other organizations featured in our newsletter and other Realityworks communications. The prize? Our latest model infant simulator – RealCare® Baby II-plus and Control Center software – for fast, convenient programming and reporting using a personal computer. Winners will be chosen by random drawing at the end of the year. Send your story to Share Your Story.
|
| |
March is National Talk to Your Teen
About Sex Month
Whether that teen is your own child, your student or another young person for whom you are responsible, use this month to specifically reinforce your messages on teen pregnancy prevention.
Recommended sites for advice on how to talk to teens:
http://www.talkingwithkids.org/
http://www.teenpregnancy.org/parent/default.asp
http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/be_there.html
|
| |
Where in the World is Baby Today?
 Baby is in the news every day around the world. Here are a few links to recent articles we enjoyed. Need help getting publicity for your program? We have a media tip sheet and some facts that may help get your program in the news, too. Request a tip sheet today.
This article is about Babies used in a prison program. Check out the great photos! Thanks, Tennessee.
This one is about Babies used for pregnancy prevention in Mexico. “Robobabies” taking on the world! Read all about it. |
| |
We’re Here For You
 Unlike some companies, you can call the Realityworks product support line and get a real live person to help you with your product concerns. And even though you can’t see them through the phone, they really are smiling. They can talk you through just about any issue that’s keeping you from getting things accomplished (unless your issue is that pile of laundry or the ”check engine” light in your vehicle).
In addition to the one-on-one help, we share their product support tips every month right next to the clover (because we’re lucky to have such great product support technicians, of course).
Product support hours are Monday through Thursday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Fridays 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Standard Time. Call 1.800.830.1416 or 1.715.830.2040.
Baby Does Not Respond to the ID. What’s Wrong?
 You do not have a naughty Baby, and chances are, you don’t have a broken one, either. This is a common question from customers trying to hear the chime of recognition between Baby and the ID used to identify the person caring for Baby during a simulation.
Common problems? The IDs are not being held in the correct locations, they are being held too far away from Baby’s body, or they are not being held still long enough for the ID and Baby to “talk” to each other. This can take up to 10 seconds.
Babies will not respond to the IDs until a care event is prompted by crying. Another thing to check is that the participant is actually using the correct ID, configured for the Baby to which they are assigned. |
|
|
Believe us, we’ll let you know when it’s not important. |
|
|
We call our infant simulators RealCare® Baby (formerly Baby Think It Over®), and sometimes just “Baby.” But we know they have other interesting monikers as well. Robot Babies, Virtual Babies, e-Babies, Cyborg Babies (say what?), Computer Chip Babies, Living Dolls (aw shucks), those Babies, and the middle-of-the-night-when-Baby-is-crying-not-fit-for-publication names coined by parents of student users... we won’t go there!
What do you call our Babies? Let us know so we can add it to the collection!
|
|
|
What do Leprechauns have to do with St. Patrick's Day? Special bonus to the first 10 readers to reply with the correct origin of this obscure cultural reference. Email your response here and include your name, organization and contact information so we can send you your very impressive, most wonderful and really useful prize! |
|
|
Congratulations to our bright Star Trivia winners for February. The Little Red-Haired Girl was Charlie Brown’s unrequited love from the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. She never had a name in the funny papers, but during one television special she was identified as Heather. The round-headed kid would lean up against his mailbox just waiting for her to send him a valentine, but alas, she never did.
Winners hailed from schools and social service agencies in Tennessee, Illinois, Texas, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Maine.
Fastest fingers this month come from Jeanne Brooks at the Department of Child Safety in Nashville. Jeanne’s agency gives out child abuse prevention grants to agencies in Tennessee, and some grantees use RealCare® Babies with their new and prospective parents. Thanks to Jeanne and the Department of Children’s Services for supporting important community programs.
“A former coworker, Donna Johnson, was Shultz’s inspiration for the character.”
“She is nameless, but she is the object of Charlie Brown’s affection in the Snoopy cartoons. Poor Charlie… perhaps it is indeed true, ‘Better to have loved and lost than not to have loved at all’.” Sigh.
Answer 1: “Little orphan Annie was the little red haired girl.” (Technically, yes, she was a little red-haired girl.)
Answer 2: “I hope you are talking about Charlie Brown's friend. Surely you are not talking about Li’l Orphan Annie!” (In the immortal words of Charlie Brown, “Good grief!”) |
|
|
Want a catalog?
Want to watch the new DVD with testimonials from around the world?
Want to Upgrade your Control Center software for FREE?
Want proof of the effectiveness of infant simulators?
Want pizza?
Want to share your story and enter the contest?
Want to be a research partner?
Want to know more about RealCare Baby?
Want to see our other products?
Want us to stop? Okay.
Thanks for checking in with us. See you next month! |
|
Product Support Tip o’ the Month
