ELIZABETHTOWN -- The wail of a baby punctuates the proceedings of a panel discussion at a high-school assembly. Within a few minutes, the 17-year-old "parent" has the infant pacified and cooing.

Throughout the North Country, teenagers are experiencing the joys and tribulations of pseudo-parenting as part of their health or home/careers classes. Robot babies are the lesson book.

BRINGING HOME BABY

The baby simulation is required as part of an overall education in parenting in Laura Eldred's class at Willsboro Central School. Lessons cover health, from pre-natal care to birth and through adolescence. Proper nutrition, obesity, medication, emotions, nurturing and safety are among the topics covered.

The lessons can be stark.

"The vast majority of students in the class say they are definitely not ready now to become a parent but would like to several years in the future," Keene teacher Stephanie Quinn said. "Lack of sleep gets to most of them, and it definitely gets in the way of sports and social life."

Hannah Kirkby had an experience most real parents have undergone, when "Bella" decided to cry during a presentation.

"I just wanted to hurry up and make it stop crying as it was embarrassing. The other students giggled and pointed a finger. I hurried up and stuck the key in (to turn the crying off) and waited for it to coo."

Kirkby felt that if she had had "Bella" for a week instead of 24 hours "it would have been more of an eye-opener."

FUTURE FATHERS

While parenting, in the past, was generally considered the mother's responsibility, male students now also must demonstrate their parenting abilities.

"It kind of shows you teenagers aren't ready to have children in high school," said Peter Dwyer of Keene Central School. "The reality is that a child does need a lot of attention."

He had to wake up about four times a night to attend to "Kirysten's" needs.

Keene's Andrew Murphy didn't care for his pseudo-progeny crying at 2 a.m., especially when he couldn't find the keys to quiet her.

"I think I even started crying," he mused.