The Babysitters Remember Chapters 22-epilogue

[lisaerin]

Chapter 22

Mary Anne had a bunch of babysitters because Richard had to work a lot. I think he calls an agency or something. I guess Kristy murdered all of the rival agencies once she started up the BSC. I guess I should murder any author who has an idea similar to mine. There are times when I think I have a good idea and then I see a book with a

Comments

[pi_beta_alpha]

"I guess Kristy murdered all of the rival agencies once she started up the BSC."

It cracks me up. Richard calls an agency about 5 years before Kristy starts the club, yet when anyone else sits (or when Liz Lewis or whoever starts the Agency in an early book), they're "stealing her idea". Agencies have existed LOOOONG before Kristy Thomas was born; if anything, SHE stole someone else's idea, so...way to go there, Idea Machine.

"because she eats lettuce and pecans.Nothing but lettuce and pecans"

How does she know if she doesn't spend every waking moment with the sitter? Maybe she just really likes lettuce and pecans but eats other stuff, too.

"Richard doesn’t want to impose on the Thomases and the Kishis. "

That's classic pre-Sharon Richard behavior, so +1 to whoever wrote this. Then again, as a parent, I too would be a lot more comfortable leaving my 8 year old child with someone familiar and someone I knew well vs. hiring in a complete stranger to live in my home and be responsible for my kid. I bet if asked, Mimi would have been delighted to watch MA for a few days.

" I don’t feel like dealing with baby bodily functions, either. I’m okay with babies when they’re clean and being cute."

Nothing irritates me more than people who are all like "you're a parent! You probably just looooooooove my 6 year old throwing a tantrum that would make a 2 year old blush! Isn't it cute how he picked up a glass vase of flowers off the coffee table and threw it at you?" Um, no. None of the above. I love my child more than life itself. I love kids in general. I think they deserve to be loved, nurtured, and respected; and all that equates to also being taught manners and how to behave like civilized folk. Just because I love my kid and love kids in general doesn't mean I love every single kid and every single asshole-ish thing they do. And parents who turn a blind eye to their kids horribly obnoxious behavior that borders on psychotic get lumped into the category of "don't come crying to me when you're visiting your teenaged brat in prison some day. And don't you dare even say that you never saw it coming, because that would make you an idiot."

"I also can’t see Stacey being interested in babysitting."

Now that you mention it, I can't either, and I will do a hats off to the ghosties for picking the right sitter to decide there's more to being a teenager than chasing after someones children 24 hours a day.

[pi_beta_alpha]

"It was such a hassle planning outings with my friends because my parents were strict."

When I was in 1st or 2nd grade, my best friends mom did not like me. I still have no idea why, I wasn't loud or obnoxious and did what I was told. She was never mean to me, but she never really said much or seemed very approachable. One night during a sleepover that particular friend made the comment that whenever she asked (her parents) if she could have me spend the night, her mom would always ask "why don't you ask (other kid) instead?" God, that hurt. My parents were pretty cool about letting kids spend the night, but once I hit Jr. High age I a) had no friends because I was at a school I hated and b) our household was always in such an upheaval having friends over was embarrassing so I never did. Later on, my best friend had awesome parents and I would stay there for a week or more in the summer. They always treated me like one of their own, and I loved it.

"Kristy was a bossy little tyrant even as a little kid. I bet she forced everyone at recess to play what she wanted."

Like "Let's All Come In". Seriously, I know where Karen gets it. Or, I know why Karen and Kristy get along so well since Karen technically wasn't raised with Kristy. But putting someone like Karen under the care of someone like Kristy is like throwing gasoline on a fire.

"Mrs. Tate isn’t rattled by the pranks. It turns out she likes them, so the girls have a prank war and everyone has a good time because now they’re all in on the joke. Mary Anne learns that you shouldn’t judge people by their appearances, but she obviously forgot that lesson because the BSC does it all the time."

I always thought this was a really, really cute part of the book. How fun for everyone to have a good-natured prank war? Then again, didn't Mrs. Tate tell them to spread plastic wrap over the toilet? That's really gross. But even so, my friends and I have had prank wars before and the only rule was no one is allowed to purposely injure anyone. We duct-taped/strapped a harmonica to the tailpipe of my friends old pick up truck once and when he hit the gas it goes all "WOOOOONK" and freaked him out, it was the BEST. When I'd go spend the night at my grandparents house when I was little, we would do fun stuff; I'd help grandma pick strawberries and apples and I'd help my grandpa in his wood shop (helping consisted of sanding a piece of scrap wood down to a toothpick, but he always acted like it was the best thing anyone had ever done and always acted like it was REALLY helpful.) When my daughter was very little she wanted to help my husband out in the garage all the time, he'd tell her to go get something random (like a hammer that he didn't really need) and it made her feel so proud. Very cool stuff.

Thanks for snarking this one; it's one of my favorites!