Three Men and a Baby

I've watched the 1980's movie "Three Men and a Baby" before. In case you don't know, it's about 3 bachelors who live together in Manhattan. While one is away in Turkey filming a movie, a baby conceived during a one-night stand with a cast member from a play he was in, is left on the doorstep for his unsuspecting and unprepared roommates to find. When he returns about a week later, he is quite stunned to discover that he's a father, but it doesn't take long for all three men to fall in love with the baby girl and become quite protective of her. Then, the baby's mother returns to take the baby to London with her to live. Of course, in the end, she decides to move in with the guys so they can all raise the baby together.

Like I said, I've watched the movie before. But I wanted to watch it again because I knew I would have a completely different perspective of the movie now. The last time I saw it, I was single and childless. I watched it because I like babies and thought it'd be fun to see a movie with a cute baby in it. This time I watched it to see a scene I often see in my own home-a man pathetically but resolutely trying to take care of a baby. Last time, I laughed at their incapability to feed and diaper the tiny infant. This time, I found myself with a running commentary. "Pick the poor baby up and hold her already!" "Yes, the part of the diaper with the sticky tabs goes underneath the baby." "ALWAYS set the open bottle of baby powder down gently unless you want your apartment to to look like the Alps in January." "If you let that drug dealer walk off with that poor innocent baby, I will personally hunt you down and kill you even if you're just acting in a movie."

And of course, there are my ambivilent feelings towards the absent mother. How could a caring mother leave her baby on the doorstep of a man she barely knew with no supplies, instructions, etc.? If I were to abandon my daugher (which I probably won't have a strong desire to do until she turns 13 anyways), she would be found with 27 days worth of diapers and wipes, enough food to feed a small third-world country (which, knowing Princess, would be thrown out anyways), and painfully detailed instructions pertaining to every mundane detail of her life. She would also be found with a box full of nearly new toys (because she prefers to play with the tv remotes and her dad's dirty socks) to play with, a full wardrobe of clothes for temperatures ranging from South African to Icelandic, and an array of sippy cups and brightly colored toddler forks.

Before I became pregnant with Princess, I could watch movies or tv shows with child abuse or abduction or any of those other terrible things that can happen to kids without feeling too much sorrow or anger. I would be saddened and disgusted at the atrocities, but could turn off the tv and go about my daily business without it affecting me. Now, I become outraged to the point of throwing knives at the tv whenever the "bad guys" come on the screen and so distraught that I can't function normally for several days. That may not be my kid, but I feel as if it's the job of the adults in this world to protect and care for children and when I see a child being neglected or abused, it makes me wonder who messed up the brains of the adults around them.

Unsolicited Advice:
Save some money on cable or satelite bills. If you have the internet, you can watch almost any show anytime with limited commercials online. My favorite sites are veoh.com, hulu.com, and of course, youtube.com