Kristy's Portrait

[aln1982]

^ My thoughts exactly. It's a good thing Charlie turned out as good as he did. I know a mother who put a lot on her kids like Elizabeth did and her kids became really resentful and are pretty messed up now. Charlie seemed to develop the opposite way, becoming more responsible. He seems almost like the "parent" sometimes.
I agree that they put way too much emphasis on how Elizabeth did so much "holding the family together". That always bothered me.

[hitzpink]

Charlie had to write the mortgage check?!? Was that in Kristy's Portrait or another book?

[aln1982]

^ I think that was MYOB. That's the one he had to get up in the night to feed DM, too, because Elizabeth was "too busy"....

[janey83]

Ummm....how long does it take to write a check? Seriously....5 minutes, tops...............

[aln1982]

^ Exactly my thoughts. That's why it seems like she was just too "busy" to even bother with keeping up on anything. (though I know it's been emphasized what a "great job" she did "keeping things together") Maybe Charlie was just being dramatic but I can see Elizabeth being one of those moms after the divorce who is constantly snapping at her kids, telling them that she "doesn't have time" for this or that. I might just be comparing her to some people I know (though am not sure why) and this might not be fair but it's how I view her, which gives me the negative opinion of her in the BSC books.

[secondhandshoes]

I think that Elizabeth was so lost after the divorce that she wasn't as "together" as her kids thought. She probably HAD time to write a check, she just didn't have the energy or drive to bother.

[aln1982]

^ Those are my thoughts too. I was just having trouble expressing them. Thanks. ;D

[janey83]

In Babysitter's Remember, Kristy had to beg to be left alone with DM after school at like...10 or so. Charlie could take care of the house at 10, but Kristy wasn't capable of looking after her brother?

[ashley868]

Yeah I thought the idea of Charlie being in charge at the age of 10 of a 8 and 6 year old was strange when I read this book last night. My mother was a single mom as well and had my sister take care of me when she was 11 and I was 10 but it only lasted a week because my mom couldn't stand the thought of us being alone that she was distracted at work. She ended up having my uncle move in with us for awhile until we were a little older. Then we moved to a smaller town where we lived in a duplex where the neighbour could check up on us even when we were twelve and thirteen.
I wondered as others wondered if Patrick was DM's father. I had an idea that maybe she got pregnant from another man and Patrick found out, and that's why he left after DM was born. And that's why he wasn't concerned about DM when he came back later. And he was worried since Sam and Charlie were older they might resent him and maybe fight him. But then other people are right, this is BSC world so he likely is DM's father. And I agree it's creepy he only wanted to see Kristy. If she was his favourite child there could be a chance he would kidnap her since he didn't want anyone to know he was in the area.
I liked the snowpeople thing too, it was cute. I want to read more stories about MA, Kristy and Claudia as children growing up. That's why I wanted to read the portrait books. I now only have to read Stacy's and Abby's, but I'm really not that interested in Abby. I haven't read the books she was in yet.

[lyricalangel]

Abby's portrait is really good, Ashley. It really does help you understand her better.

[courtky10]

^Yeah, Abby's portrait is my favorite of the portraits.

[tiff85]

Kristy's Book was interesting to say the least. The sports camp she went to sounded like fun. Elizabeth was a great mother and Kristy and her brothers were very responsible. I couldn't stand Patrick. Ugh!! What a jerk!

[booboobrewer]

I FINALLY read this book. Yay! Overall I thought it was pretty good. I thought the part where the kids gave Louie the tomato juice bath was adorable. The story about Kristy, Claudia, and Mary Anne buying Mimi's scarf was also sweet. I love how Mimi plays a pretty prominent role in all three girls' portraits. The Car Man story was also funny, and Kristy was such a cute little girl. I wasn't interested in the Camp Topnotch chapter very much.

A lot has already been said about Patrick the insensitive loser, but the part where he told Kristy about Elizabeth using a "short leash" and then making a choking gesture, thinking Kristy would find it funny...that's just awful. He looks a bit like Matthew McConaughey in the picture where he and Kristy are holding bowling balls. Watson looks so kind in his pic with Kristy, and I got teary (I'm Mary Anne!) when he gave Kristy her glove...he's such a doll of a stepfather.

[firecausesburns]

I think this was the book that started my theory that Kristy will take Brewer as her surname, and probably sooner rather than later (within a few years, maybe if Patrick lets her down one more time).
The "On Our Own" part seems really weird to me too. Mary Anne still needed a baby-sitter at age 10, according to SS#11, but Charlie was the man of the house at that age. I know Richard was protective and all, but still. I'm not sure why Mimi couldn't have helped out, at least dropped over to check on them sometimes.

[starrynight]

Jan 21, 2009 0:38:30 GMT -5 booboobrewer said:

I wasn't interested in the Camp Topnotch chapter very much.

I just had a thought...does Kristy make any reference to having been to camp before in "Summer Vacation?"