Katie
New To Stoneybrook
Posts: 153
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Post by Katie on Mar 12, 2018 0:01:17 GMT -5
Wendy was certainly unreliable but the BSC was over the top with how they treated her. No one explained anything to her yet they expected her to give all her jobs to them. Kristy was ridiculous. They were not nice to Mallory either. Kristy I think snapping at her to go to a doctor. She's 11. Her parents have to make the doctor appointments. Be mad at them.
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livvy
Sitter-In-Training
Posts: 394
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Post by livvy on Dec 24, 2019 20:17:03 GMT -5
I don't like Kristy and never will she thinks she's the boss of everyone just because she's president. She had no right to be rude to Jessi. Sometimes you can't help be late even if it's just for a measly minute .
Wendy wasn't a bad sitter. So she was late if she had called it wouldn't have been a big deal. I liked her better than Kristy (I like anyone better than Kristy) and was also rooting for her.
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livvy
Sitter-In-Training
Posts: 394
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Post by livvy on Dec 25, 2019 6:22:18 GMT -5
And another thing Wendy's neighbour was her own client not the BSC. She had the clients before she even joined so why should she share them with the other sitters? It doesn't make any sense. They had no right to demand Wendy to share her client.
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Post by m0drnmoonlight on Sept 15, 2020 12:04:43 GMT -5
I feel like that "offer EVERY job around" rule was made up for this book. I can remember one book where a parent calls up a babysitter early one weekend morning and says they need a babysitter because they got called into work or something. Whoever it was didn't offer the job around before taking it. And if Kristy's parents step out to go to the grocery store and leave her in charge does she call around first to see if its okay with everyone else? It always seemed to me that half of the jobs Kristy, Mallory and Jessi did at home were spur of the moment. Kristy bothered me in this book, but Wendy was irresponsible. Isn't this the book that has "?" next to "Alternate Officer"? Haha I loved that! It is! I was so confused by that. The "offer EVERY job around" thing is what started the fight in Mary Anne Saves the Day, right? Claudia answers the phone and accepts a job from Mrs. Newton right away instead of offering it around and everyone called her a job hog. And then in Little Miss Stoneybrook...and Dawn, everyone gets mad at Claudia AGAIN because Dr. Johansson requests her to watch Charlotte. I don't see why it's such a huge deal either. Emergencies happen and I'm sure some families need to call for a sitter on days when there isn't a BSC meeting. This is one of my favorites books but it really made me hate Kristy. She was in full dictator mode and it really is sad/horrible that the other members are legit TERRIFIED of upsetting her. Like Jessi's all frantic when she brings Wendy to her first meeting and tells her she's afraid of being one second late. That's kind of disturbing they're THAT afraid of getting a Look from Kristy. And when Mallory calls in sick to a meeting, her first concern is they're down two members (since Dawn's in California) instead of being concerned like everyone else that Mallory isn't feeling well. She practically blames Mallory for them being overwhelmed later on and yells at her when Mallory says she's leaving a meeting early because she's so exhausted. Then remember when Dawn calls and Kristy orders her to return to Connecticut? It was weird that Kristy was so bent out of shape because they didn't have a sitter to send to the Hills and Mr. Hill said he'd have to look for other sitters. Like whole books go by without the Hills calling before this. I guess they're dead to the BSC after this though. And are there other sitters in Stoneybrook? The BSC has a monopoly on babysitting And Wendy really didn't have a chance from the beginning. Kristy was really condescending and rude to her. "You look pretty young. Have you sat before?" She's the same age as Jessi and Mallory! The others were at least willing to give her a chance. And we saw Wendy was good with kids, Jessi was impressed with how well she interacted with the Barretts and later with the Pikes. She just didn't fit with the BSC and all its rules. I agree with someone else here that she would have made a decent associate member since they don't have to be at every single meeting. I did love the subplot. I like that the kids came up with the Snow White and the Seven Zorbs idea themselves instead of the BSC shoving them into the Project du Jour. And the party store chapter - I would read that over and over because I loved reading about them shopping! Edited for double posting: The BSC, especially Kristy were horrible in this book. Regardless of whether Wendy knew the "rules," she should have been on time to her job, no question there. I actually thought it was weird how no one told her that the BSC met 3 times a week (to our knowledge). How was she supposed to know that? Outside of this book and maybe a couple others, Kristy was leader (generally in a positive way). Wendy was merely a young girl who didn't want to be so tied down 3 times a week. I also noticed when Mal called Stacey to baby-sit. She never called all the other girls after-wards to ask their approval.. I also am still annoyed by how convenient the "rush" was in this book. If the BSC truly was so very busy daily, any of them should have wanted to take on additional members. I also didn't quite get how Shannon becoming a full member helped long-term. It sounded like their were a few jobs that no one could handle. Wouldn't this be the time to figure out a few other back-ups? I guess not. At the beginning of the book, one of the other members (I forget who) suggests they look into hiring another member. Kristy actually refuses! One of her reasons is Dawn will be back soon and "seven sitters is plenty. Eight sitters is too much." Though after no one's available to sit for the Hills and Mr. Hill says he's going to start looking for other sitters, that's when she says they need to replace Dawn. Mary Anne asks what they'll do when Dawn comes back and Kristy says "we'll worry about it then." I agree that if they were THIS busy, they should have done something even before Dawn left. Like at the very least asking Logan and Shannon to come to meetings instead of calling both of them multiple times an afternoon!
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livvy
Sitter-In-Training
Posts: 394
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Post by livvy on Mar 6, 2021 10:47:42 GMT -5
This is the one very few Jessi books I liked . And I actually liked Wendy. Too and she clashed with Kirsty and Wendy reminds me of myself a loner , independent and doesn't like people telling her what to do all the time . I'm also a video gamer . I would have clashed with Kristy big time and it was unfair of her wanting to take Wendy's own clients away from her . The girls aren't the only baby sitters in town .
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Post by CharlotteTJohanssen on Mar 6, 2021 12:31:09 GMT -5
lol at offering jobs around, I bet Claudia gets a lot of jobs since it’s her phone and calling around is just a nuisance. I liked Wendy okay myself. Don’t know why she couldn’t have been an associate member.
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Post by m0drnmoonlight on Mar 10, 2021 14:04:26 GMT -5
lol at offering jobs around, I bet Claudia gets a lot of jobs since it’s her phone and calling around is just a nuisance. I liked Wendy okay myself. Don’t know why she couldn’t have been an associate member. I think that comes up in Kristy's Great Idea -- the Newtons called Claudia after hours for a sitting job and Kristy was all "Why didn't they call MEEEEE?!" And you can't tell me that Claudia or Kristy (before she moved) was called the morning before school to do an emergency babysitting job for a family. What are they supposed to do, call everyone else to make sure it's ok? In the book, when Jessi goes with Margo and Mrs. Pike to the party store after Margo admits to shoplifting, Mallory calls Stacey to come and help her sit for the other Pikes. Like, how is that different than what Wendy got chewed out for at the last BSC meeting? It's only an issue when it's someone else. Honestly, Wendy had no chance because she was an outsider. This was the BSC at their most cult-like. Wendy wasn't a bad babysitter. Yeah, she was late to meetings and sitting jobs but she was really good with kids. They definitely could have kept her on as an associate member, it would have taken some of the stress off Logan and Shannon from being called all the time!
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Post by CharlotteTJohanssen on Mar 10, 2021 14:43:13 GMT -5
I kind of wish they had a couple of associate members! I remember in book 10 Logan mentioning a couple of guys wanting to baby-sit like, could have at least five back ups maybe. Wendy could have just been added.
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cnj
Sitting For The Papadakis's
Posts: 1,708
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Post by cnj on Mar 16, 2021 3:57:59 GMT -5
Wendy wasn't a bad babysitter. Yeah, she was late to meetings and sitting jobs but she was really good with kids.
Maybe so, but when it comes to a baby-sitting job, you cannot be repeatedly late to jobs, especially when parents must leave on time, so no, I'm glad that they did not keep Wendy on, even as an associate member.
Anna would have been an excellent associate member.
I am glad they didn't add too many boys, though since it was a series about girls and friendship between girls.
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Post by sparklymouse on Mar 16, 2021 12:46:19 GMT -5
I always feel in the minority about this one because people seem to think that Kristy and the club should disregard their established rules for Wendy. Maybe they were too rigid for some, but they weren't a secret. You talk about that stuff before you commit to something.
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Post by m0drnmoonlight on Mar 18, 2021 11:56:31 GMT -5
I always feel in the minority about this one because people seem to think that Kristy and the club should disregard their established rules for Wendy. Maybe they were too rigid for some, but they weren't a secret. You talk about that stuff before you commit to something. "You need to be on time" is a given and that's where Wendy blew it. Like if she knew she was going to be late to a job she should have called Jessi or told her in school "Hey, I got called for an emergency sitting job for my neighbor, I'm going to be a little late to the Pikes today." But other than that, she was never told how the club operates. That's where I felt bad for her because they (or mostly Kristy) ganged up on her and told her "You knew the rules when you joined." But they never told her the rules. Her first meeting she sat there while Kristy explained how jobs are assigned and yelled at Mallory for being sick and turning a job down. She had no idea she had to turn her personal clients over to the BSC. Which was never an issue before this. Sorry, I just really hated Kristy in this book. She was rude to Wendy from the get go and didn't seem willing to give her a chance at all. I feel like if she decided to stay and they reminded her "You MUST tell us if you're going to be late for a job," she could have stayed on as an associate. Because you're right, you can't be a babysitter and be late to everything. If there's an emergency, let the BSC or whichever sitter you're sitting with know.
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Post by Sideshowjazz1 on Mar 31, 2021 1:18:51 GMT -5
And another thing Wendy's neighbour was her own client not the BSC. She had the clients before she even joined so why should she share them with the other sitters? It doesn't make any sense. They had no right to demand Wendy to share her client. I mean, what Wendy could have said was "Yes. Oh, but by the way, I've just joined a club. So if I'm ever not available, you could call them. Or you could call whenever you need me and just request that I babysit. I'm sure they won't mind." But the BSC expects her to say "I'm sorry, but I can't, because I've just joined a club of babysitters and I'm not allowed to take jobs unless I offer them to the other girls as well. Here's the club number. We meet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at five-thirty." I'm sorry, but that is just NOT what is going to happen. They expect Wendy to leave a client in the lurch just because the client specifically asked her to babysit without calling the club? That's a terrible idea. When Wendy was late to the Pike job, her excuse for staying late to the first job and taking it on her own was "Nobody else knows this baby. She won't go to just anyone." And that's true, some babies hate strangers. This kind of job is exactly why parents should be allowed to request sitters. They often don't let them do it, even with shy kids. Wouldn't there be lots of kids (and parents) who would have preferences even if they called the club? I'm not saying Wendy was always right and yes, she should have given her clients the club number to be fair, because they could try requesting her, but if they ask her to sit informally and she doesn't have another sitting job, she should be allowed to take it, especially if the child knows her and doesn't like strangers, like the mentioned baby.
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Post by Sideshowjazz1 on Mar 31, 2021 1:28:04 GMT -5
^LoL to the Anne Hutchinson comparison. I am always so surprised when the BSC whines about being too busy. I don't know why they don't just take on more associate members -- if they really and truly had no one who could sit, I'm sure that Sam or Charlie would take a job or two. It was mentioned before that they used to take turns watching David Micheal, and I highly doubt that any of the clients would have a huge issue with it. They are getting a sitter, aren't they? Especially the old time sitters like Mrs Newton or Mrs Pike. I wouldn't even be surprised to hear that the elder Thomas' children used to sit for those kids before the BSC. And there is also always Janine down the hall, or Abby's sister. Just because they don't come to a meeting doesn't mean they can't sit. The purpose of the club still exists -- the clients call one number and are guaranteed a sitter. Even though the Stevenson twins hadn't showed up yet, you're right on all counts. The reason I'm mentioning Anna in particular is...well, why couldn't she be an associate member? She likes kids, she likes babysitting, and they asked her to join full-time at the same time as Abby. Kristy mentioned she liked Anna more than Abby at the start. The only reason she didn't join is because she wanted the meeting time to practice her violin playing. She could easily take a few jobs the way Shannon and Logan do. Also, Janine has been shown to be good with kids. She helped Rosie Wilder in #49 whenever the sitter couldn't with her crosswords and things, and she was a counsellor in Super Special #14, too. She gets on pretty well with kids, even though she relates to them as more of an educator than anything. I guess it's easy when you have a little sister who needs a lot of tutoring.
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Post by m0drnmoonlight on Apr 1, 2021 11:30:37 GMT -5
And another thing Wendy's neighbour was her own client not the BSC. She had the clients before she even joined so why should she share them with the other sitters? It doesn't make any sense. They had no right to demand Wendy to share her client. I mean, what Wendy could have said was "Yes. Oh, but by the way, I've just joined a club. So if I'm ever not available, you could call them. Or you could call whenever you need me and just request that I babysit. I'm sure they won't mind." But the BSC expects her to say "I'm sorry, but I can't, because I've just joined a club of babysitters and I'm not allowed to take jobs unless I offer them to the other girls as well. Here's the club number. We meet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at five-thirty." I'm sorry, but that is just NOT what is going to happen. They expect Wendy to leave a client in the lurch just because the client specifically asked her to babysit without calling the club? That's a terrible idea. When Wendy was late to the Pike job, her excuse for staying late to the first job and taking it on her own was "Nobody else knows this baby. She won't go to just anyone." And that's true, some babies hate strangers. This kind of job is exactly why parents should be allowed to request sitters. They often don't let them do it, even with shy kids. Wouldn't there be lots of kids (and parents) who would have preferences even if they called the club? I'm not saying Wendy was always right and yes, she should have given her clients the club number to be fair, because they could try requesting her, but if they ask her to sit informally and she doesn't have another sitting job, she should be allowed to take it, especially if the child knows her and doesn't like strangers, like the mentioned baby. In Little Miss Stoneybrook...and Dawn, the club gave Claudia the b!tch treatment after Dr. Johanssen requested her to sit for Charlotte because Charlotte asked. Because this was after Stacey moved back to NYC and she missed Stacey. And Dawn specifically said "This isn't how the club works" and everyone was just really nasty to Claudia about it. I think it comes up in at least one other book too where they say clients are discouraged from requesting sitters "because it's fair." I just feel like clients clearly have favorite sitters. The Barretts like Dawn, the Newtons like Claudia, the Braddocks like Jessi. You'd think the kids would want to have their favorites sit for them! But it results in bruised egos. I get the issues with Wendy being late without calling because that's irresponsible. But she was never told that she had to give her personal jobs up to the BSC and it's frankly ridiculous that they expected her to share her client with them. I know Jessi said "If we all had private jobs, we wouldn't have a club," but I'd like to think they'd make an exception for a family who's most comfortable with Wendy as their sitter.
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Post by Sideshowjazz1 on Apr 1, 2021 15:36:29 GMT -5
I mean, what Wendy could have said was "Yes. Oh, but by the way, I've just joined a club. So if I'm ever not available, you could call them. Or you could call whenever you need me and just request that I babysit. I'm sure they won't mind." But the BSC expects her to say "I'm sorry, but I can't, because I've just joined a club of babysitters and I'm not allowed to take jobs unless I offer them to the other girls as well. Here's the club number. We meet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at five-thirty." I'm sorry, but that is just NOT what is going to happen. They expect Wendy to leave a client in the lurch just because the client specifically asked her to babysit without calling the club? That's a terrible idea. When Wendy was late to the Pike job, her excuse for staying late to the first job and taking it on her own was "Nobody else knows this baby. She won't go to just anyone." And that's true, some babies hate strangers. This kind of job is exactly why parents should be allowed to request sitters. They often don't let them do it, even with shy kids. Wouldn't there be lots of kids (and parents) who would have preferences even if they called the club? I'm not saying Wendy was always right and yes, she should have given her clients the club number to be fair, because they could try requesting her, but if they ask her to sit informally and she doesn't have another sitting job, she should be allowed to take it, especially if the child knows her and doesn't like strangers, like the mentioned baby. In Little Miss Stoneybrook...and Dawn, the club gave Claudia the b!tch treatment after Dr. Johanssen requested her to sit for Charlotte because Charlotte asked. Because this was after Stacey moved back to NYC and she missed Stacey. And Dawn specifically said "This isn't how the club works" and everyone was just really nasty to Claudia about it. I think it comes up in at least one other book too where they say clients are discouraged from requesting sitters "because it's fair." I just feel like clients clearly have favorite sitters. The Barretts like Dawn, the Newtons like Claudia, the Braddocks like Jessi. You'd think the kids would want to have their favorites sit for them! But it results in bruised egos. I get the issues with Wendy being late without calling because that's irresponsible. But she was never told that she had to give her personal jobs up to the BSC and it's frankly ridiculous that they expected her to share her client with them. I know Jessi said "If we all had private jobs, we wouldn't have a club," but I'd like to think they'd make an exception for a family who's most comfortable with Wendy as their sitter. Yeah, that was my thought. Sometimes they let the client ask if someone's available. Right at the end of the first mystery, Mrs Barrett calls and says that Buddy specifically requested that Mallory sit. She took the job, even though Stacey was free. My point was, if someone asks Wendy individually to sit, she shouldn't have to say no. She should give them the club number so they can call another time, but leaving a client because they didn't call the club is just not a good look. I think the reason she was late for the Pike job was because her other job ran longer than expected for reasons out of her control. I don't know what she could have done other than not accept the earlier job.
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