Dawn and Too Many Sitters Chapters 6-10
Chapter 6
Dawn has heartburn the next day. I don’t think that’s heartburn. I think you’re just nervous about Richard and Sharon’s decision. Can teenagers even get heartburn? Dawn can’t have heartburn because she’s the consumer of only the finest natural products. Yeah, you say you only eat t he finest natural products and wonder why you get flack for your dietary choices. It’s your attitude people dislike, not your food choices. It’s not the fact that you like to eat healthy; it’s the fact that you act like you are better than everyone because of it. The parents say the girls can go on the trip, but they’ll have to come up with money for the balance because they’re paying the deposit or something. I really don’t care. All I know is that this means they’ll have to raise money and will probably be able to raise more money than is realistic.
Jeff comes up to Mary Anne and Dawn later and asks why Mary Anne was crying. Mary Anne wasn’t crying this time. If she had been, it’s probably because she saw a sad commercial, read a sad book, saw a stuffed animal in the garbage can, etc. It turns out that Jeff’s question was a lead in to a joke.
Jeff tells Mary Anne and Dawn that he and the triplets can be Babysitters in Training and be assistants for the BSC until they’re ready to branch out on their own. Mary Anne says that they’ll be in competition with the BSC, but Jeff won’t be, since he’s going back to California. I don’t know how much business three ten-year olds can get. First of all, they won’t be able to babysit at night because they’re ten. Second, I know parents trust thirteen year olds and eleven year olds with their kids, but they might draw the limit at ten. Suppose some of the charges are eight and nine? I already think some of the older kids might not listen to the BSC because they’re only a few years apart. I really can’t buy a ten year old as an authority figure.
There’s also the fact that going into competition against the BSC is grounds for an assassination attempt as far as Kristy is concerned. Remember how bent out of shape she got when she saw that Mallory was babysitting her own siblings? Kristy is under the impression that nobody but the BSC is capable of babysitting.
Dawn promises to bring it up at the next BSC meeting. Everyone is shocked when Kristy says it’s no big deal. She figures that the triplets would get bored with the first diaper change anyway. I wonder if I should read that as acknowledgement that the BSC really is too interested in babysitting kids. I don’t know if thirteen-year-olds center their entire lives around babysitting.
Chapter 7
Jeff and the triplets have been accepted as BITs. This makes me think of BLTS. They don’t want to go to Claudia’s house for the meeting because they just want to babysit, not hang around a couple of girls. If you want to babysit, you have to join the BSC and attend meetings. There’s no other way around it. Dawn said that they stuck their necks out for them and they should be honored that everyone agreed. Yes, being accepted into the BSC is the highest honor anyone can accomplish. The triplets and Jeff should be on their hands and knees thanking God for this opportunity.
How did Dawn and Mary Anne stick their necks out for Jeff and the triplets? All they did was ask if they could join the BSC? How is asking a friend if their siblings can join a club sticking your neck out? What’s the worst thing that Kristy can do? Fire the boys because they don’t live up to the BSC’s ridiculous standards and then make Dawn consume a pack of skittles for punishment?
Mary Anne says it’ll be fun because everyone wants to welcome the boys. I think about when Mallory and Jessi were inducted into the BSC and Dawn got bent out of shape. By welcome, Mary Anne means that Kristy wants to lord her superiority over the boys because joining the BSC is like being knighted. Why are the girls so insistent that the boys come to the meeting? If Kristy has rules, why doesn’t she just tell them to Mary Anne and Dawn? Won’t Claudia’s room be crowded?
The boys go inside and Stacey and Abby start singing and messing around. The triplets and Jeff want to leave, but Mary Anne and Dawn insist they go in. I don’t think ten year old boys would find it fun to hang around their older sister and her friends if they’re going to be all giggly and teasing. Also, why would you want to have your little brother around for a meeting? Suppose you want to discuss something girly or talk about a crush? You’ll give them prime blackmail material.
Kristy calls the meeting to order and barks at the triplets to sit. What a warm welcome. Kristy starts spouting some bullshit about how the triplets probably think that babysitting is easy, but it’s not. It’s agonizing work. It’s long hours and hard work. Kristy is taking herself way too seriously, but what’s new? Maybe the hours wouldn’t seem so long if the BSC stopped arranging carnivals and pet shows and fashion shows every week. Maybe it wouldn’t seem like hard work if the BSC let the kids play by themselves instead of arranging carnivals every time they babysit.
Kristy spouts some more bullshit about how the they have to put their charges first and themselves second. Kids have accidents. They make a lot of demands. And babysitters just have to suck it up. First of all, Kristy is talking like she’s some kind of childcare expert. She’s not. She’s a thirteen-year-old girl who likes to babysit and meddle in affairs that aren’t her business. She’s not a parent, a teacher, a daycare provider, a child therapist, or anyone who has vast experience with kids. She’s a thirteen year old with a superiority complex.
I love how Kristy is talking about how they have to put their charges first and themselves second. Actually, I love everything about Kristy’s speech and by love I mean I’m rolling my eyes at the hypocrisy. The BSC is a clear example of do as I say and not as I do. When do they put the charges above themselves? Was it when they were forcing Charlotte to perform despite knowing how much she hated it? That was really putting her needs above your own. Do they put the kids’ needs above their own when they whine constantly when the kids want to play something they dislike? They pat themselves on the back for making the sacrifice to play Candyland even though they hate it. The BSC only puts the kids’ needs above their own when it’s convenient for them. If not, they have to spend a bunch of time talking about how they’re brilliant babysitters for playing Candyland.
I love how Kristy is talking about accidents and demands. Everything she says is true, but the BSC just goes to pieces when the slightest thing goes wrong. This is what a disaster is in BSC world. Jackie tripped and banged his knee. He also spilled a glass of juice, but there was no stain. Jenny disagreed with me. She’s the most difficult child on the planet. Accidents in BSC world are akin to child abuse. Mallory got a lot of flak because Nicky broke his finger on her watch. Buddy fell off his bike. Child services must be called. These girls just can’t realize that accidents can and will happen. It’s not the end of the world if someone trips and falls.
I’m pretty sure the BSC whines when kids make demands. The kids are just supposed to meekly do whatever the BSC says, not have desires of their own. Dawn is the one who nicknamed three charges The Impossible Three because they had the audacity to live in a messy house, enjoy gun games, and ask for cereal and therefore ruin her perfect schedule. If the triplets and Jeff want to branch into babysitting, they should not look to the BSC for advice.
Abby mocks Kristy and Claudia giggles. Kristy snaps that this is serious. The triplets and Jeff look terrified. Claudia gives them some candy to loosen them up. When I saw the phrase “loosen them up,” I thought Claudia was talking about alcohol. The candy works because the boys stop being afraid and dive for it. Dawn tells Jeff to say thank you. Have the BSC thanked Claudia for sharing her snacks? Has Dawn ever said thank you to Claudia for going out of her way to get snacks for her?
Kristy is droning on and on but the BITs pay her no mind. Candy is more important than listening to Kristy’s stupid rules. Someone asks about Little League practice and Kristy says to work around them because a commitment is a commitment. I hope she means that they should inform Mary Anne when they have practices so she’ll know not to schedule them for a job. Kristy can’t expect the boys to bail on Little League practice. Little League is a commitment as well.
Byron farts and this sends everyone into hysterics. The BSC arrange some jobs. The BITs are still joking amongst themselves. I can see that bringing them to this meeting was very productive.
Chapter 8
Jeff and Jessi are babysitting for the Prezziosos. Jenny is fussing because she doesn’t want to put on sunscreen. This is a Jenny bad day. Jenny is spoiled because she got a lot of gifts when her sister was born. She has a bunch of clothing. Since when does having a bunch of clothing make you spoiled? I guess people are only allowed to have one outfit. If they have more than one outfit, they’re spoiled brats. I would say Karen is more spoiled than Jenny because she gets her way all the time.
Jessi is probably going to whine in the notebook this. I love how we just had a chapter stating that babysitting is hard work and then we have a chapter talking about how Jenny is having a bad day. She’s four. Four-year-olds don’t always do what they’re supposed to immediately and without question. Sometimes they cry and whine. But no, they’re just being a difficult brat. Like I said before, the BSC just goes to pieces at the slightest inconvenience.
Jeff takes Jenny’s hand and smashes the sunscreen in his face. He jokes around with Jenny and gets her to put on the sunscreen. I really like this scene because it’s nice to see someone treating Jenny as a four-year-old girl and not a demon spawn because she disagrees with the BSC. I also like how Jeff didn’t spend his time whining that Jenny wasn’t listening to him. He adapted and got her to put on the sunscreen. The BSC needs to learn this skill.
Andrea wakes up and starts to cry. Her diaper needs to be changed. Jessi wants Jeff to change Andrea’s diaper but he doesn’t want to. Jessi gives up and changes the diaper herself. They go outside. Jeff is having a hard time with Andrea and Jessi has to keep helping him. Jenny wants Jessi to play with her. Why doesn’t Jessi take care of Andrea and let Jeff watch Jenny? It seems like letting an inexperienced ten-year-old look after a baby isn’t very responsible. Jessi is annoyed because she has to deal with a crying infant and a whiny four-year-old as well as a useless ten-year old. What happened to the buck stops with you?
Why is Jessi letting Jeff watch Andrea? He’s inexperienced so that means that he’s going to need help. Why doesn’t he just play with Jenny? They were getting along really well. Jessi finally holds Andrea while Jeff and Jenny play. She has to take what she can get. That job didn’t seem too bad. Jenny whined, but it was taken care of without fuss. Jeff didn’t want to change a diaper, but I don’t know how many kids his age want to do that. Jeff did have a little trouble with Andrea, but it’s not like he has experience with a baby. He did get along really well with Jenny. I think Jenny had a better time with Jeff than she did with the BSC.
Chapter 9
Dawn and Mary Anne are trying to raise money by selling food. Dawn is selling health food so she can help enlighten the people of Stoneybrook. Has Dawn forgotten that Stoneybrook is a place where everyone only eats processed, sugary foods? Has she forgotten that there are no vegetables or fruits in Stoneybrook and they consume a bag of sugar a day? Does she not know her consumers at all? No one in Stoneybrook eats healthy. They won’t go for your health food. This isn’t the time to get on your soapbox. You need money. You need to offer food that people will buy. When I was on newspaper and the school literary journal, we sold rice krispsy treats, muffins, and chips. Other clubs sold doughnuts. This is because junk food sells. Maybe Dawn should have had a bake sale. I’m sure there are delicious healthy desserts and people might be more willing to try that than a bean sprout sandwich. Or Dawn could have sold junk food and had a little bit of health food in case someone wanted to try it.
The health food sale is not a success. I thought that businesses should know their consumer and offer what they wanted. The next money scheme is to sell Mary Anne’s junk. The junk is sold out. The BSC seems to be successful at raising money. The BITs are giving a little trouble because they’re ten-year old boys and therefore prone to making mistakes and teasing their charges. Dawn said that she learned a lot about their personalities during the jobs. The BSC babysits for the Pikes all the time and Jeff is brother. I suppose that in some circumstances you find out stuff about people that you never did before.
Dawn is exhausted because of all the work she’s doing to raise money. The girls are one step closer to going on the trip to Hawaii, but they need to raise the money because the deposit is nonrefundable.
Chapter 10
Mallory is babysitting her siblings. Byron was supposed to sit with her. The triplets have a game and they didn’t tell Mallory. This seems like a contrived set up. I wonder if Mallory would have been aware that the triplets had a game. How long in advance do they know about the games? Is a game a last minute thing? Is it scheduled a long time in advance? Did Mary Anne ask the BITs if they had any other commitments and write it down in the notebook? Byron comes back to babysit. I think this is probably because Mallory guilted him about missing a BSC job. There is nothing more important in the world than babysitting. All other commitments are unimportant.
Dawn has heartburn the next day. I don’t think that’s heartburn. I think you’re just nervous about Richard and Sharon’s decision. Can teenagers even get heartburn? Dawn can’t have heartburn because she’s the consumer of only the finest natural products. Yeah, you say you only eat t he finest natural products and wonder why you get flack for your dietary choices. It’s your attitude people dislike, not your food choices. It’s not the fact that you like to eat healthy; it’s the fact that you act like you are better than everyone because of it. The parents say the girls can go on the trip, but they’ll have to come up with money for the balance because they’re paying the deposit or something. I really don’t care. All I know is that this means they’ll have to raise money and will probably be able to raise more money than is realistic.
Jeff comes up to Mary Anne and Dawn later and asks why Mary Anne was crying. Mary Anne wasn’t crying this time. If she had been, it’s probably because she saw a sad commercial, read a sad book, saw a stuffed animal in the garbage can, etc. It turns out that Jeff’s question was a lead in to a joke.
Jeff tells Mary Anne and Dawn that he and the triplets can be Babysitters in Training and be assistants for the BSC until they’re ready to branch out on their own. Mary Anne says that they’ll be in competition with the BSC, but Jeff won’t be, since he’s going back to California. I don’t know how much business three ten-year olds can get. First of all, they won’t be able to babysit at night because they’re ten. Second, I know parents trust thirteen year olds and eleven year olds with their kids, but they might draw the limit at ten. Suppose some of the charges are eight and nine? I already think some of the older kids might not listen to the BSC because they’re only a few years apart. I really can’t buy a ten year old as an authority figure.
There’s also the fact that going into competition against the BSC is grounds for an assassination attempt as far as Kristy is concerned. Remember how bent out of shape she got when she saw that Mallory was babysitting her own siblings? Kristy is under the impression that nobody but the BSC is capable of babysitting.
Dawn promises to bring it up at the next BSC meeting. Everyone is shocked when Kristy says it’s no big deal. She figures that the triplets would get bored with the first diaper change anyway. I wonder if I should read that as acknowledgement that the BSC really is too interested in babysitting kids. I don’t know if thirteen-year-olds center their entire lives around babysitting.
Chapter 7
Jeff and the triplets have been accepted as BITs. This makes me think of BLTS. They don’t want to go to Claudia’s house for the meeting because they just want to babysit, not hang around a couple of girls. If you want to babysit, you have to join the BSC and attend meetings. There’s no other way around it. Dawn said that they stuck their necks out for them and they should be honored that everyone agreed. Yes, being accepted into the BSC is the highest honor anyone can accomplish. The triplets and Jeff should be on their hands and knees thanking God for this opportunity.
How did Dawn and Mary Anne stick their necks out for Jeff and the triplets? All they did was ask if they could join the BSC? How is asking a friend if their siblings can join a club sticking your neck out? What’s the worst thing that Kristy can do? Fire the boys because they don’t live up to the BSC’s ridiculous standards and then make Dawn consume a pack of skittles for punishment?
Mary Anne says it’ll be fun because everyone wants to welcome the boys. I think about when Mallory and Jessi were inducted into the BSC and Dawn got bent out of shape. By welcome, Mary Anne means that Kristy wants to lord her superiority over the boys because joining the BSC is like being knighted. Why are the girls so insistent that the boys come to the meeting? If Kristy has rules, why doesn’t she just tell them to Mary Anne and Dawn? Won’t Claudia’s room be crowded?
The boys go inside and Stacey and Abby start singing and messing around. The triplets and Jeff want to leave, but Mary Anne and Dawn insist they go in. I don’t think ten year old boys would find it fun to hang around their older sister and her friends if they’re going to be all giggly and teasing. Also, why would you want to have your little brother around for a meeting? Suppose you want to discuss something girly or talk about a crush? You’ll give them prime blackmail material.
Kristy calls the meeting to order and barks at the triplets to sit. What a warm welcome. Kristy starts spouting some bullshit about how the triplets probably think that babysitting is easy, but it’s not. It’s agonizing work. It’s long hours and hard work. Kristy is taking herself way too seriously, but what’s new? Maybe the hours wouldn’t seem so long if the BSC stopped arranging carnivals and pet shows and fashion shows every week. Maybe it wouldn’t seem like hard work if the BSC let the kids play by themselves instead of arranging carnivals every time they babysit.
Kristy spouts some more bullshit about how the they have to put their charges first and themselves second. Kids have accidents. They make a lot of demands. And babysitters just have to suck it up. First of all, Kristy is talking like she’s some kind of childcare expert. She’s not. She’s a thirteen-year-old girl who likes to babysit and meddle in affairs that aren’t her business. She’s not a parent, a teacher, a daycare provider, a child therapist, or anyone who has vast experience with kids. She’s a thirteen year old with a superiority complex.
I love how Kristy is talking about how they have to put their charges first and themselves second. Actually, I love everything about Kristy’s speech and by love I mean I’m rolling my eyes at the hypocrisy. The BSC is a clear example of do as I say and not as I do. When do they put the charges above themselves? Was it when they were forcing Charlotte to perform despite knowing how much she hated it? That was really putting her needs above your own. Do they put the kids’ needs above their own when they whine constantly when the kids want to play something they dislike? They pat themselves on the back for making the sacrifice to play Candyland even though they hate it. The BSC only puts the kids’ needs above their own when it’s convenient for them. If not, they have to spend a bunch of time talking about how they’re brilliant babysitters for playing Candyland.
I love how Kristy is talking about accidents and demands. Everything she says is true, but the BSC just goes to pieces when the slightest thing goes wrong. This is what a disaster is in BSC world. Jackie tripped and banged his knee. He also spilled a glass of juice, but there was no stain. Jenny disagreed with me. She’s the most difficult child on the planet. Accidents in BSC world are akin to child abuse. Mallory got a lot of flak because Nicky broke his finger on her watch. Buddy fell off his bike. Child services must be called. These girls just can’t realize that accidents can and will happen. It’s not the end of the world if someone trips and falls.
I’m pretty sure the BSC whines when kids make demands. The kids are just supposed to meekly do whatever the BSC says, not have desires of their own. Dawn is the one who nicknamed three charges The Impossible Three because they had the audacity to live in a messy house, enjoy gun games, and ask for cereal and therefore ruin her perfect schedule. If the triplets and Jeff want to branch into babysitting, they should not look to the BSC for advice.
Abby mocks Kristy and Claudia giggles. Kristy snaps that this is serious. The triplets and Jeff look terrified. Claudia gives them some candy to loosen them up. When I saw the phrase “loosen them up,” I thought Claudia was talking about alcohol. The candy works because the boys stop being afraid and dive for it. Dawn tells Jeff to say thank you. Have the BSC thanked Claudia for sharing her snacks? Has Dawn ever said thank you to Claudia for going out of her way to get snacks for her?
Kristy is droning on and on but the BITs pay her no mind. Candy is more important than listening to Kristy’s stupid rules. Someone asks about Little League practice and Kristy says to work around them because a commitment is a commitment. I hope she means that they should inform Mary Anne when they have practices so she’ll know not to schedule them for a job. Kristy can’t expect the boys to bail on Little League practice. Little League is a commitment as well.
Byron farts and this sends everyone into hysterics. The BSC arrange some jobs. The BITs are still joking amongst themselves. I can see that bringing them to this meeting was very productive.
Chapter 8
Jeff and Jessi are babysitting for the Prezziosos. Jenny is fussing because she doesn’t want to put on sunscreen. This is a Jenny bad day. Jenny is spoiled because she got a lot of gifts when her sister was born. She has a bunch of clothing. Since when does having a bunch of clothing make you spoiled? I guess people are only allowed to have one outfit. If they have more than one outfit, they’re spoiled brats. I would say Karen is more spoiled than Jenny because she gets her way all the time.
Jessi is probably going to whine in the notebook this. I love how we just had a chapter stating that babysitting is hard work and then we have a chapter talking about how Jenny is having a bad day. She’s four. Four-year-olds don’t always do what they’re supposed to immediately and without question. Sometimes they cry and whine. But no, they’re just being a difficult brat. Like I said before, the BSC just goes to pieces at the slightest inconvenience.
Jeff takes Jenny’s hand and smashes the sunscreen in his face. He jokes around with Jenny and gets her to put on the sunscreen. I really like this scene because it’s nice to see someone treating Jenny as a four-year-old girl and not a demon spawn because she disagrees with the BSC. I also like how Jeff didn’t spend his time whining that Jenny wasn’t listening to him. He adapted and got her to put on the sunscreen. The BSC needs to learn this skill.
Andrea wakes up and starts to cry. Her diaper needs to be changed. Jessi wants Jeff to change Andrea’s diaper but he doesn’t want to. Jessi gives up and changes the diaper herself. They go outside. Jeff is having a hard time with Andrea and Jessi has to keep helping him. Jenny wants Jessi to play with her. Why doesn’t Jessi take care of Andrea and let Jeff watch Jenny? It seems like letting an inexperienced ten-year-old look after a baby isn’t very responsible. Jessi is annoyed because she has to deal with a crying infant and a whiny four-year-old as well as a useless ten-year old. What happened to the buck stops with you?
Why is Jessi letting Jeff watch Andrea? He’s inexperienced so that means that he’s going to need help. Why doesn’t he just play with Jenny? They were getting along really well. Jessi finally holds Andrea while Jeff and Jenny play. She has to take what she can get. That job didn’t seem too bad. Jenny whined, but it was taken care of without fuss. Jeff didn’t want to change a diaper, but I don’t know how many kids his age want to do that. Jeff did have a little trouble with Andrea, but it’s not like he has experience with a baby. He did get along really well with Jenny. I think Jenny had a better time with Jeff than she did with the BSC.
Chapter 9
Dawn and Mary Anne are trying to raise money by selling food. Dawn is selling health food so she can help enlighten the people of Stoneybrook. Has Dawn forgotten that Stoneybrook is a place where everyone only eats processed, sugary foods? Has she forgotten that there are no vegetables or fruits in Stoneybrook and they consume a bag of sugar a day? Does she not know her consumers at all? No one in Stoneybrook eats healthy. They won’t go for your health food. This isn’t the time to get on your soapbox. You need money. You need to offer food that people will buy. When I was on newspaper and the school literary journal, we sold rice krispsy treats, muffins, and chips. Other clubs sold doughnuts. This is because junk food sells. Maybe Dawn should have had a bake sale. I’m sure there are delicious healthy desserts and people might be more willing to try that than a bean sprout sandwich. Or Dawn could have sold junk food and had a little bit of health food in case someone wanted to try it.
The health food sale is not a success. I thought that businesses should know their consumer and offer what they wanted. The next money scheme is to sell Mary Anne’s junk. The junk is sold out. The BSC seems to be successful at raising money. The BITs are giving a little trouble because they’re ten-year old boys and therefore prone to making mistakes and teasing their charges. Dawn said that she learned a lot about their personalities during the jobs. The BSC babysits for the Pikes all the time and Jeff is brother. I suppose that in some circumstances you find out stuff about people that you never did before.
Dawn is exhausted because of all the work she’s doing to raise money. The girls are one step closer to going on the trip to Hawaii, but they need to raise the money because the deposit is nonrefundable.
Chapter 10
Mallory is babysitting her siblings. Byron was supposed to sit with her. The triplets have a game and they didn’t tell Mallory. This seems like a contrived set up. I wonder if Mallory would have been aware that the triplets had a game. How long in advance do they know about the games? Is a game a last minute thing? Is it scheduled a long time in advance? Did Mary Anne ask the BITs if they had any other commitments and write it down in the notebook? Byron comes back to babysit. I think this is probably because Mallory guilted him about missing a BSC job. There is nothing more important in the world than babysitting. All other commitments are unimportant.