Admittedly, I was one of the loudest critics of “Kid Nation” (the show that left 40 kids parent-less for 40 days in a made-up New Mexico ghost town). So when our TV critic, Chuck Barney, told me about “Baby Borrowers,” I was prepared to get my hackles up again. In February, NBC will air the reality show in which five diverse teenage couples are fast-tracked to adulthood. They’re given a house, bills and kids — as in babies, then toddlers, pre-teens, teenagers and senior citizens. Oh no, they didn’t. At least, that was my initial reaction.

Then, I did some reading. TV Week provides a behind-the-scenes look at the brewing controversy — expected, considering the show used real “borrowed” babies — and the actual production. A fellow blogger and I laughed about whether the “Kid Nation” families were now handing over their youngest family members for a grand social experiment. Surprisingly, teachers and psychologists were the ones lining up to lend their babes to inexperienced teens. OK, so that got my attention. Unlike “Kid Nation,” the producers of this show asked the parents to stick around. The teen couples (all 18 or older) were monitored from a nearby house throughout the three-week taping. If the actual parents had concerns at any time, they were allowed to reclaim their children. (No clue if that happened with the American-based experiment, but it did happen once on the British version, where the show’s concept originated.)

Yes, “Baby Borrowers” has issues similar to “Kid Nation.” It sounds as if the producers circumvented child labor laws by going to Idaho, which like New Mexico (at least until July 1) had lax laws for child entertainers. But unlike “Kid Nation,” this show wasn’t scripted. The teen couples were chosen because they want to be parents. This was an attempt to give them a glimpse at what parenthood and the real world is like. And frankly, that’s not an entirely bad idea.

Check out the comments about the British version, which already aired on BBC Three. In particular, I was struck by one comment from Ashleigh of Bristol: “Before I watched this programme I really wanted a baby. Being a teenager myself I think that I should wait a little longer before having a baby.” If a teenager learns that lesson from this show, then by all means, lets make them all watch. Britain seems to think so, too. The show is now being played in schools throughout the country.

In Wednesday’s Times, Paula King wrote an article about the huge spike in East Bay teens having babies and deciding to keep them. Some of the comments from the teen moms alarmed me. Take then-pregnant 16-year-old Vanessa Morales, for example: “I’m not scared. I’m just really excited. Some people think if you have a baby at this age, your life is over. If you have enough support, it will be OK.” Perhaps it’s beliefs such as this that have more teens not only accidentally getting pregnant but also choosing to do it. And honestly, that’s scary.

I’m 34 years old, and sometimes parenthood can be tough for me. Dana’s week-long bout of stomach flu two years ago was a physical and emotional drain. I was lucky — my husband and I could split time taking care of her. We had jobs that allowed for family sick days and medical insurance. But that still didn’t make the week easy on us as parents. The reality is that parenthood is a lifetime commitment. It’s not about playing house.

We live in an age where teens pay too much attention to television. With that in mind, “Baby Borrowers” may be the best forum to reach some kids. As a parent, I’ve talked to Dana about what life would be like if she got pregnant. But there’s a big difference between telling her and showing her. So, she and I both will be tuning in to watch.