Raising kids is tough, especially when they're not yours.
"Life as We Know It," which opened Friday, is one of a long line of romantic comedies about single people becoming parents for the first time. Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel play two free spirits who become reluctant caregivers to a baby girl when their mutual best friends are killed in a car wreck (a common death in this genre).
Here's a look at some other first-time parents:
"About a Boy" (2002): Hugh Grant is his charming stuttering self as a wealthy bon vivant who pretends to have a son to impress women. He ends up befriending a single mother (Toni Collette) and her 12-year-old son. The guys bond over buying shoes and keeping bullies at bay. It's one of Grant's best roles.
"Baby Boom" (1987): Corporate big-shot J.C. (Diane Keaton) sees her world turned on its head when she inherits an adorable baby girl from a distant relative. Her maternal instincts eventually kick in, and she gets Sam Shepard as a reward for her lack of sleep and spit-up on her suits.
"Big Daddy" (1999): Like Grant, Adam Sandler adopts a kid to impress his girlfriend. Scary thought. But his puerile imagination comes in handy. Telling a kid to wear a pair of "magic sunglasses" to make him invisible and ease his anxieties is genius.
"Martian Child" (2007): A widower/sci-fi writer (John Cusack) decides to adopt a 6-year-old boy who thinks he's from Mars. At least the tyke is low-maintenance, preferring to shield himself from sunlight by hanging out in a box.
"No Reservations" (2007): After her sister dies in, yes, a car wreck, a hardened New York chef (Catherine Zeta Jones) is in for a challenge when her niece (Abigail Breslin) comes to live with her. Aaron Eckhart helps her in the kitchen and elsewhere.
