62 Kristy and the Worst Kid Ever ch 11-15

[masterdivinity]

Okay the conclusion- but before I snark I want to comment on a few things… First, I don’t blame the BSC for their reaction because it is obvious that a group of pre-teens who have lived very privileged lives and probably never encountered a foster system, so it is logical they wouldn’t realize the depth of emotional trauma that Lou has coming into

Comments

[xenaeilonwy]

Hey Dawn,

I WAS READIN' THIS SNARK WITH A SOULBOND I LOVE AND I'M LIKE, FORGET YOUUUU AND FORGET KRISTY TOO.

Seriously you don't fucking pick up and carry a screaming child and don't obey when she wants you to put her down you just DON'T OKAY. And then she's insensitive and trivializing as fuck. I hate this book so much.

Also that social worker is on a one-way trip on the failboat.

[duchess_julia]

I used to babysit foster kids (part of why this book angers me so), and I once had to pick up a kid who started panicking about ever having to go back to his parents (their rights had been terminated) and he tried hurting himself. I picked him up and held him in my lap in a hug and told him he's safe and won't ever have to go back. He finally calmed down and hugged me back. I'm still sad for all those kids.

Dawn picked up a kid for trying to play instead of giving her a time-out or something.

[anonymous]

I have a friend who is a foster mom. By law, foster children are not allowed to be babysat by anyone other than another foster family or a licensed childcare provider. There is no way the BSC should have been sitting for her.

[duchess_julia]

When I was a teen, I babysat foster kids. The social worker was fine with it. Legal? I don't know. I was great with the kids though, even the "tough to handle" kids by making up a lot of games and letting them cry when they needed to. I also researched all I could to be prepared. So yeah, no slack for the BSC who think they're perfect. I handled 10 at a time (I'm not even kidding, and it would be 13 when the foster family's own daughters were added in), and the BSC can't handle a single child.

[duchess_julia]

The worker is a bad one. She should have spoken with the foster parents first.

The Paps needed to be home with Lou for a while, and the prep classes should have covered that.

It's possible the aunt and uncle were on the mom's side, and she and her sibling weren't on good terms since before the kids were born.

[kahran042]

Actually, they were Lou's father's brother and his wife.

[kakeochi_umai]

I love that Lou says "Yuck" when Dawn tries to force her dietary preferences on the Papadakises. I also love that she's the devil incarnate for saying that even though the rest of the BSC say things like that all the time, often when they don't even have to eat Dawn's food.

I don't blame Hannie for being upset about the cookie dough thing, especially now that I know enough American to know what a cowpie is (they're called cowpats in the UK and Australasia. Does anyone with the British edition know if they changed that?) I also think Lou deserved the time out in itself - my issue is with a) Dawn's snippiness and b) the fact that, for example, when the Pike triplets ganged up on Nicky nonstop, Dawn fucking FELT BAD ABOUT TELLING THEM OFF. And when Sarah Hill was consistently nasty to Norman about his weight, the girls half-heartedly begged her to stop and then told Norman it was his fault for not standing up for himself.

There is a big issue about Dawn washing Hannie’s hair- seriously its not that big of an issue.I'm going to

[masterdivinity]

Re- the hair-- It's not Hannie's reaction. It's Dawn's. I get that Hannie was upset, I think she overreacted a bit with the i HATE YOU.... The "its not that big of an issue" was more in reference to Dawn- if that makes sense

[kakeochi_umai]

Yeah, that makes sense. I love that if a Cult kid had done it they'd have been all "Those zany kids!"

[masterdivinity]

exactly! Because Lou did it, it was a horrible thing, but when any of the BSC kids do things it's cute.

[fairest1]

I'm going to consider this a happy ending because Lou will never have to see the BSC or Karen again, and is now living with people who seem to care about her and think about what she'd like (see: getting her a puppy -- especially a shelter puppy).

[masterdivinity]

except, apparently there is a second book with Lou when Abby is a sitter. I have not read it.

I do think it's a happy ending, she has love, a home, stability, people who genuinely want to see her do well etc.