The Science Experiment
 |
| Image: All Rights Reserved |
| New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers |
| 2008 |
By lunchtime, everyone knew about my donor. Mom had told Heidi’s mom and Heidi’s mom had told Heidi, and Heidi had told everyone. A couple of the boys started calling me “Science Experiment”, as if there had been some bespectacled guy with crazy hair in a lab mixing coloured liquids in glass canisters and shouting “Eureka!” when he made a baby. Even though we were supposed to eat lunch with kids from our own class, I walked my tray over to Abigail’s table so I wouldn’t have to talk about my donor.
“I thought you said your dad lived in Europe,” Abigail said as I sat down. So it wasn’t just my class that knew; it was the entire fourth grade. I swallowed hard so I wouldn’t cry. I knew it shouldn’t matter so much. There were two other kids in my class who didn’t have fathers. Heidi’s own father had just got up and left one day, and they never saw him again. And a boy in my class had a father who’d died. That had to be worse than someone who may or may not live in Europe.
“I don’t know where my father is,” I admitted. “I don’t even really have one.” I stood up and left my lunch tray where it was. Suddenly I didn’t feel well. My head hurt and I was dizzy. Abigail called after me, but I kept going straight to the nurse’s office. I told her I felt like throwing up. They always let you go home if you are going to throw up. I lay down on the little cot in the nurse’s room and listened to her call Mom. I imagined Mom sitting at her computer, writing about how to have a baby without involving a man. I closed my eyes and waited for her to come and pick me up.
The name Science Experiment stuck with me through the rest of the school year, but things died down by the time fifth grade started. Still, having a donor was the thing about me that everyone knew. Just like we all knew that Heidi’s mom had gone out on a secret date with the principal. Nobody made fun of me anymore, but I always wished there were a way to go back and make sure no one knew the truth about me.
Extract from the book My so-called family
By Courtney Sheinmel
All rights reserved.
New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2008.
Call Number: J English SHE
Extract contributed by Noriahni Ismail
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How would you feel if you found out you were a test tube baby?
October 10th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
I would feel unique and happy that I am different
November 12th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
unwanted; abandoned; and different in a way I detest
July 1st, 2010 at 1:16 pm
I personally feel that it does not really matter if I am a test tube baby or not. What matters the most is that I am a human being,I live normally and that I am a normal person. Sure, others might treat me differently because of the way I was born, but it does not matter. As long as I know who I am, and that I am beautifully and wonderfully made.
Most people who are born differently are not discouraged by that fact, but by others who criticise them. We should all try and make this world a better place to live in. Teasing others who are different will not make you feel better.
July 2nd, 2010 at 11:35 am
I think that being a test-tube baby does not make you different from everyone else. It is wrong to tease other people or children if they are a test-tube baby as they are also human that have feelings.
This message is for you: Everyone especially YOU! You are special and unique:)
Although it might be kinda depressing knowing you are a test-tube baby, it should be shurgged off, because you can still play and learn like a normal child. (cause you are one
July 2nd, 2010 at 11:42 am
Hello! If I found out I was a test tube baby, I would personally feel that I am out of the ordinary and more special than ever.To be true to you, I would think that it is quite cool to be part of a science experiment, though I am not keen of being called that. However,I think that everyone is special in there own way, whether or not you are handicapped or just plain weird. Test tube baby or not, we should live normally and appreciate life to the fullest. I know, I know, some inconsiderate people criticise you for being different, but push all the criticsm aside and do not let it get to you.You may be overcome with the fact that you will want to commit suicide but you were made this way so do not bother wasting your life by commiting suicide because you only live once!
July 2nd, 2010 at 11:46 am
I will feel humiliated and think that life is unfair.However, I am unique. As long as I make use of my life and think of the positive side, that is the utmost important thing. It would be great if I can even succeed in live. I would not care what other people say about me and try to ignore them as I have self-cofidience. I would be grateful to be given a life. I would cherish my life and make the better out of it. Other people out there are suffering worse than me, having shortage of food and lack of money for education.
July 2nd, 2010 at 11:47 am
In our opinion, it does not matter if we are test tube babies or not(or a flask, thermometer, jar or cup (:). We do not care if people laugh at us, or gossip about us, what really matters is what we think of ourselves. Even if we have are friendless, we must always have pride and dignity. We should be proud of who we are, and who we want to be. Everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses and nobody is perfect. Being different is special and being special is different.
July 2nd, 2010 at 11:51 am
Hi I am Elizabeth,after reading this story,personally, I feel that whether you are a test tube baby or not does not matter. God made us and we should be grateful. We should not be affected by others that crtisize or tease us. If they do , I would just say that being part of a experiment is a experience of a lifetime.Maybe that will keep them quiet.Whether we are testtube babies or not,we shouldenjoy life and live life to te fullest.I would not hate my mother for doing this to me, instead, I will still love her.
I do not hate those who make fun of me as if I were them ,I may too make fun of them.Also,it is not always that a baby is made from a testube.Everbody has their own weaknesses and strengths and we should always accept them, handicapped or weird.
July 2nd, 2010 at 11:52 am
Hi I am Elizabeth,and after reading this story,personally, I feel that whether you are a test tube baby or not does not matter. God made us and we should be grateful. We should not be affected by others that crtisize or tease us. If they do , I would just say that being part of a experiment is a experience of a lifetime.Maybe that will keep them quiet.Whether we are testtube babies or not,we shouldenjoy life and live life to te fullest.I would not hate my mother for doing this to me, instead, I will still love her.
I do not hate those who make fun of me as if I were them ,I may too make fun of them.Also,it is not always that a baby is made from a testube.Everbody has their own weaknesses and strengths and we should always accept them, handicapped or weird.
July 6th, 2010 at 10:03 am
If I found out that I were a test tube baby, I’d be quite upset as I would feel like a planned baby just like the girl in My Sister’s Keeper. But I also think that my parents had their own problems, hence, making me a test tube baby. Whatever a mother does for her child is for the child’s own good.
July 6th, 2010 at 10:09 am
I would feel fake and hurt.I would probably run out of my house with hot tears rolling down my cheeks. I would want to know why I was never told this for twelve years.
Why?But I know that there are always reasons. Whatever they are, I would come to accapt them.
One day, I would.
July 6th, 2010 at 10:10 am
I will feel the pinch the shock of what wans’t told to me for years. Being cheated is not what I can accept easily. I don’t really believe that others will not matter if their parents told if they were test-tube babies. I would mind. But of course I will have to bear with it. I might be because my mother cannot conceive or anything else but it is the fact and nothing can change. I will treasure my life and at least i get to be alive. I am against making test-tube babies as this is Gods job and not man’s job. Whether it is correct or not, God will decide. Even if I feel sad, I will live my life to the fullest.
July 6th, 2010 at 10:14 am
I would feel upset, unwanted, weird, hurt, angry and sad.
However, I know that it was for my own good that my mother had hid the truth from me.
July 6th, 2010 at 10:22 am
I would feel hurt and cheated. I would forgive my mother as I would know that she really wanted a baby. However, I would rather know the truth.
July 6th, 2010 at 10:24 am
I would feel hurt and would feel unwanted or abandoned.
July 6th, 2010 at 10:25 am
I would feel that I am special as I had been specially crafted. Even though the truth had been hidden from me, I think that it was for my own good as they did not want me to feel different from my other friends. I was made for a special purpose!
July 6th, 2010 at 10:26 am
That would be terrible news. I would feel as if I wasn’t really my mother’s. She did not go through tons of pain to receive me. It would feel as if I was adopted by a lady who was later known to me as my mother.
July 7th, 2010 at 10:04 am
I would feel horrible as i do not knkow who my real father is or if i had a father. but putting aside all that i would also feel that my mother actually isn’t my real mother but just a foster parent.
July 7th, 2010 at 10:05 am
I personally would feel upset. I will think that i am different from others who was born in their biogical mother’s womb, which i wasn’t. Which it would not be a true mother and daughter love.
July 7th, 2010 at 10:05 am
I would feel horrible as i do not knkow who my real father is or if i had a father. but putting aside all that i would also feel that my mother actually isn’t my real mother but just a foster parent who adopted me.
July 7th, 2010 at 10:05 am
i will feel cheated and not real , but i would really want to know why wasn’t i told by my parents that i was testube baby. i’ll still have to face up to reality and carry on with life.
July 7th, 2010 at 10:07 am
I feel that it was alright being a test tube baby. I still have my own mother who cares for me. She takes care of me like it was her own child. As long as someone still care for me, i will feel very content.
July 7th, 2010 at 10:09 am
Maybe i would feel bad for being teased or maybe i would feel happy for what god had made me like who i am. Most importantly is for how my friends treat me or am i with a bad company or things like that.Personally i would obviously feel like i asm different.
July 7th, 2010 at 10:11 am
I will be extremely sad as i can’t have a MOTHER’S LOVE. I will feel that i am not even a real baby that comes out of mother’s womb. I will hate myself forever.
July 8th, 2010 at 12:27 pm
I will be sad as, I am not a naturally born. When I go to school and if any of my classmate’s find out about this none of my classmate’s would want to be my friend anymore. I wil also get teased and will be very lonely everyday. Everyday when I reach school,everyone will be laughing at me.
July 8th, 2010 at 12:27 pm
I will not be happy as i am not naturally born by parents.I will not feel any love showering on me.Nobody will want to be my friend but God will be always at my side and he will guide me in my hard times.
July 9th, 2010 at 11:17 am
I would feel very ashamed, unwanted and abandoned. Though test tubes babies are different from other babies, it also means I am unique. Most people are not discouraged by what they are, but when people laugh or criticize them. Though sometimes I may feel humiliated, being different and special could be fun too. People are good and different in their own ways too, you know. God made us this way and so we should be happier than ever and grateful to what God has done.
July 9th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
Being a test tube baby my not only be a bad thing.I also may be unique in other ways. God made everyone different and unique. We should not be ashamed of ourselfs but be confident.
July 9th, 2010 at 1:11 pm
We would feel unique and happy,but we would sometimes feel sad because people would most likely make fun of us rather than make friends with us.We will try to make new friends because school life would be boring without friends.God will also help us in his own way.
July 13th, 2010 at 4:11 pm
I would feel devastated as I would feel that I am not wanted by anybody.Sometimes people will not make friends with us and bully us. We may also feel unique as we are something different from others.
July 13th, 2010 at 5:51 pm
I would feel upset as I would not have a complete family. I cannot imagine how life would be without my brothers and my parents. I love my siblings and parents very much. I may be bullied by others as well. Everyone knows I have one happy family.
July 13th, 2010 at 5:52 pm
But, if I were a test tube baby, at least I would have God.B-)
July 14th, 2010 at 9:31 pm
I would be really sad. It would be like I was meant to have no life. I would also have to keep it a secret for life.Anyway,i already have a family.
July 19th, 2010 at 11:46 am
I would be really sad but at least I would still have a home and family
July 19th, 2010 at 11:48 am
Personally, i can empathise with this character. Everyone has nicknames and sometimes we are hurt by them. We should stand up for ourselfs and not let gossip about our personal life affect us. You have to forgive those who spread rumours as they usually don’t know that their actions cause pain to someone else. They do not take it seriously and do not understand unless they have experienced such misunderstandings. It is unfortunate of her to be a so called ‘science experiment’ but in life those sort of thing is not possible. I am glad that i have a family and my parents love me very much. I hope you guys who read this book appreciate your parents more after reading this.
July 19th, 2010 at 11:48 am
no one will like to know that they were a test tube baby, it seems really awkward and people will mock at you and think you are some kind of alien from outer space. and you dont have a real family, it feels like you are adopted too. everyone might not want to be friends with you and think you are some sort of disease or what. it feels bad to be thought in that way.
July 19th, 2010 at 11:50 am
I would have mixed feelings…I would be angry as i was not told about it and dissapointed as i have no exact father… But i still have my mother and friends which is better than nothing…
July 19th, 2010 at 11:50 am
I would have mix feelings about it. On one hand , I wold feel angry and on the other hand, I would feel dissapointed. Angry as no one had told about my state and have been lying to me about it ever since I was born. Dissapointed as I would not EVER have a happy and complete family . Although I still have my mother and friends around, but not have anyone to refer to about my plight. It is so dissapointing to be a test tube baby indeed.
July 19th, 2010 at 11:51 am
i will feel unwanted if i were a test tube baby.
July 19th, 2010 at 11:52 am
i will feel unwanted if i were a test tube baby. i would dislike my parents
July 19th, 2010 at 12:04 pm
I will probably feel kinda not normal. But maybe after a while I wont anymore bcos i hav frens to make me feel normal. I wont b knocked down because of the fact that im a test tube baby, sometimes im very optimistic and positive. I recently created quotes to help me carry on with life with a positive attitude. ” Dont underestimate me! i dont quit n i dont run! I dont care how many times i get knocked over, ill still become a manga artist someday!” “Listen 12 urself complain, like ur some big baby. U can whine 4 all i care cos im not listening. ur nothing but a coward!!!”
July 19th, 2010 at 12:06 pm
I would be angry as i do not have a biological mother or father but at the same time feel happy as i do have a chance to come into this world.
July 19th, 2010 at 12:07 pm
I will feel upset but i will try to be positive and think on the good side. However, when my friends mock me, I will be brave and try not to listen. I will try to talk to an adult and askthem for advice. Although i will dislike my parents(human nature), I will try my best overcome that hatred.
July 20th, 2010 at 10:34 am
Mixed feelings are one thing . But, even though (if) i can’t accept the fact that i was actually made with liquid and what nots, a loving family with welcoming arms would be enough to cover up the sadness of the test tube baby issue. We should not think about what we are or not. But appreciate why we are human and brought into the world as a baby.
July 20th, 2010 at 10:36 am
i will feel sad that i don’t have parents and will also feel upset and unwanted.
July 20th, 2010 at 11:10 am
I would feel very hurt that my mother did not tell me i was a test tube baby, but at the same time, feel UNIQUE and different from others.I would just carry on living life, and accept me for who i am. As long as my “family” accepts me for who i am, i would’nt mind having a “fake family” ,as it is better than having no family.
July 20th, 2010 at 11:10 am
If I found out that i was a test tube baby, i would feel very upset, because i will feel very different from others. But, I would still feel fortunate to have a family, because family is the most important thing in this world. Not only are they related to you, they are also your best friends, you can share anything with them. I will still cherish them.
July 20th, 2010 at 11:11 am
If I were a test tube baby, I would learn to accept myself because everyone is special in their own ways. In fact, I would be really happy because my mother cared enough to go through all the trouble to raise me up even though I was just a science experiment. God made everyone for a reason.
July 21st, 2010 at 12:56 pm
I would feel terrible and fake at first. But after thinking it over, maybe my mother had her difficulties? I think that whether you are a test tube baby or not does not matter, and we should not be affected by the critisizm we get.
August 7th, 2010 at 9:38 am
If I found out I was a test tube baby, I would be both shocked and surprised. I would be shocked as I was never told that I was a test tube baby for twelve years. How could my parents avoid telling me the truth? Everyone has the right to know about himself or herself.
I would be surprised as I was actually part of a Science experiment once! I mean, who ever gets to be part of a Science experiment in their lives?
I am sure there must be a reason that I was not told I was a test tube baby. Personally, I think we should try to understand our parents’ feelings. We should try to be in their shoes and maybe one day, we will finally understand why our parents chose to keep it from us.
We must accept ourselves no matter who we are. Disable, pretty, ugly ,tall or thin. God created us so we will learn how to care for the disabled and learn not to take things for granted.