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Post by sotypical42483 on Sept 26, 2006 13:09:14 GMT -5
I liked the Ramsey's. They seemed very involved in their kids lives and I like how they interact as a family, like in Jessi's Gold Medal they all seem to really enjoy each other.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2006 16:07:07 GMT -5
Kristy's dad. Nuf ced.
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Post by aln1982 on Sept 29, 2006 19:13:52 GMT -5
Can Patrick even be called a parent? If so, he's got my vote. Mr. McGill is second choice but at least he tries a little bit. Mr. Schafer is right up there too. I like Richard and Watson, though and even Sharon and Mrs. McGill. Mrs. Stevenson isn't one of my favorites but she's just somewhere in the middle. Like the Pikes and Ramseys.
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alula
Sitter-In-Training
Posts: 406
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Post by alula on Dec 14, 2006 16:28:16 GMT -5
I don't think they're terrible people or anything (and definitely not in the Patrick Thomas category), but the Kishi parents seem really weak or something to me. I just read "Claudia Kishi, Middle School Drop-Out," which is what prompted this, although it's not only in academia. (For instance, in "Claudia and the World's Cutest Baby," why does her mom LET her keep going over there? She drops hints, but she doesn't flat-out, directly tell Claudia to give Peaches some space, which MY mom certainly would have done in those circumstances). I mean yeah, yeah, yeah, they relate to Janine's academic skills better and it's good they're starting to appreciate her creative spirit and all--but do they read the postcards she sends them from her many trips? Have they noticed she's barely functionally literate? I know some of this can be chalked up to good old BSC inconsistencies, but sometimes it's a "family rule" that someone go over her homework every night--seriously, how can they not have noticed how lacking in the fundamentals she is and be working on this full-time? There's a REASON thirteen-year-olds don't get to make all the decisions about their lives based on what they enjoy and what interests them. At this rate, Claudia seems really likely to drop out of high school and I think her parents have some responsibility for not keeping closer tabs on her and possibly enforcing some harder choices.
In fairness, I'd have to go dig out my copy of Claudia's Book to reread the fourth grade chapter but that always bugged me. I know it was supposed to be that she was depressed and not just sulking or whatever, but even when I first read it, I thought her parents shouldn't have just given up and moved her back to SES. Take her to a child psychologist or SOMETHING, but kids are resilent and adaptable. I bet eventually she'd have made friends and regained her confidence and who knows, maybe she'd have even developed the study skills and discipline so she could go back to SMS. Instead she just goes back and starts sliding along.
There's also the junk food issue. The Nancy Drews, whatever--I've heard some people theorize that it's really Mrs. Kishi using reverse psychology to get Claud to read anything--but reading as an adult, the junk food thing actually kind of creeps me out. In at least one book, she says, flat out, "I, Claudia Kishi, eat when I'm stressed." And she totally uses pretty huge amounts of junk food--like a whole bag of mini-candy bars--to motivate or reward herself for studying, and when she's depressed. I'm so glad chapter 2 is there to assure me she's skinny and clear skinned, but that's still totally unhealthy and disordered eating, and it will catch up with her eventually.
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Post by booboobrewer on Dec 14, 2006 18:37:04 GMT -5
The elaborating on the junk food issue seems to get worse in the later books; there are more mentions of her eating when she's stressed and depressed. It makes me feel sorry for her! Those weren't here reasons in the early ones, where she just kept some candy in her pillowcase to pass out at meetings when they felt like munching. There's one book where she goes through an entire bag of mini-candy bars while studying for a test. I remember reading that and being like, whoa. And the whole "well, I'm thin and clear-skinned, I don't need to worry about it" thing IS really kind of a bad message to send out there.
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digigirl02
Junior Sitter
The P is for Princess
Posts: 698
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Post by digigirl02 on Dec 14, 2006 19:57:54 GMT -5
Mr. Thomas.
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ktag
Junior Sitter
Posts: 694
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Post by ktag on Dec 15, 2006 1:33:51 GMT -5
You're right. A whole bag is a whole lot. In one sitting, seriously?! Junk food's great and all, but doesn't she ever get sick of it (or from it)?
Also agree about the academic stuff. Claudia can complain all she wants, but her parents can be way easy on her.
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jen
Sitting For The Johanssens
Posts: 1,156
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Post by jen on Dec 15, 2006 3:11:37 GMT -5
She never even has to drop out of the BSC, despite the gazillion threats that if she doesn't pull her grades up, the club has to go.
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Post by aln1982 on Dec 16, 2006 9:27:18 GMT -5
The junk food thing grosses me out! I have an aversion to most junk food anyway (strange... I know) but thinking about eating a whole bag of candy at one sitting grosses me out! I am surprised that Claud has any appetite for normal food after all of the junk. Wouldn't her parents notice if she didn't? I'm convinced that they do know about her "secrets" and think that the Nancy Drew ban is reverse psychology.
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Post by aln1982 on Dec 16, 2006 9:34:52 GMT -5
The junk food thing grosses me out! I have an aversion to most junk food anyway (strange... I know) but thinking about eating a whole bag of candy at one sitting grosses me out! I am surprised that Claud has any appetite for normal food after all of the junk. Wouldn't her parents notice if she didn't? I'm convinced that they do know about her "secrets" and think that the Nancy Drew ban is reverse psychology.
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digigirl02
Junior Sitter
The P is for Princess
Posts: 698
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Post by digigirl02 on Dec 16, 2006 13:39:55 GMT -5
Could be. If it is, its working.
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Post by icequeen on Jun 3, 2007 8:01:20 GMT -5
As for bad parents my vote atm is with Patrick, Mrs Barrett in Dawn and the Impossible Three, and the racist parents As for Claudia and Junkfood...Lately I have been eating WAY to much junk food but theres a limit. Claudia seems much too obsessed!! I can believe that for now Claudia can stay skinny after eating so much junk (I'm rather skinny too despite the crap i eat) but it'll catch up on her sooner or later!
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Lauren
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,026
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Post by Lauren on Jun 3, 2007 14:03:48 GMT -5
I guess I'll say Mr. McGill. I don't think Patrick should even count as a parent.
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Post by aln1982 on Jun 3, 2007 16:26:27 GMT -5
^ ha ha - agree about Patrick - he's "genetic material" ;D As for Claudia and her obsession with junk food, I actually find it kind of gross how much of it she eats - a whole bag of hershey's kisses, etc. in one sitting. Not a good example for kids, in my opinion. Also don't like her whole attitude towards regular meals, but I'm going off topic now.... ;D
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mckay
Junior Sitter
Posts: 672
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Post by mckay on Jun 10, 2007 23:43:17 GMT -5
I said "other." Worst parent...the racist mother. Whose name I absolutely can't remember right now.
I didn't like Claudia's mother either. I know she wanted to encourage Claudia to do better in school, but it really bothered me when Claudia wanted to take up a hobby outside of art because she felt like her life was getting stagnant, and all her mother said was something like "don't you have homework?" That bugged me. I know she meant well, but my mother will say the exact same thing if I mention having an interest in something. "Use that time to study." Never mind that, despite a poor GPA I generally get good grades (it's amazing how badly one D can mess you up!), and, you know, I'm twenty-four years old, for crying out loud! There's no better way to push your child away than ignoring what they're saying to you. (Claudia's father at least tried to be helpful, though he suggested taking up stamp collecting.)
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