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Post by greer on Nov 23, 2008 5:40:25 GMT -5
One of my friends was in that situation as a kid, and someone called Child Services on his mom.
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Post by firecausesburns on Nov 23, 2008 8:03:57 GMT -5
My sister and I would stay at home alone when we were about 8 and 9. I think our parents knew that we'd just sit and read the whole time and hide if the doorbell rang.
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Post by sparklymouse on Nov 23, 2008 17:28:45 GMT -5
I could have met plenty of authors and never known it. I really don't know what they look like except for Stephen King. But I get what you're saying. Authors have book signings all the time. For me, to go see one that you really really admire would be no different than buying concert tickets for a band you really liked. It is far less likely that your favorite author would magically live just a bike ride away from you and you would get to hang out in her house for weeks.
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wanderingfrog
Sitting For The Arnolds
Official BSC Archivist
Posts: 2,552
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Post by wanderingfrog on Nov 27, 2008 18:56:00 GMT -5
They do read that way. I noticed how Beezus didn't seen like she was in high school for a lot of the books--she sounded too young. Well, she is in eighth grade at a junior high school in Ramona Quimby, Age Eight when Ramona is in third grade. So she wouldn't actually be in high school until at least the next book, or possibly the book after that, depending upon whether the high schools in their school system start at ninth or tenth grade.
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bsclover18
Junior Sitter
God loves you!
Posts: 813
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Post by bsclover18 on Nov 27, 2008 19:08:29 GMT -5
That's true. I never really went through the "phases" that Mrs. Quimby always said Beezus was going through.
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Post by greer on Nov 30, 2008 12:59:50 GMT -5
Eh, I think it's harder to recognize adolescent moodiness when a)it's your own and b)when you're still an adolescent, hindsight being 20/20 and all that.
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fluffycakes
Junior Sitter
A silken-haired beauty with a laugh like pealing bells
Posts: 868
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Post by fluffycakes on Dec 1, 2008 11:29:38 GMT -5
I don't think Kristy baby-sitting for DM at the age of 10 is so shocking or horrible. Kristy's very responsible, and a lot of neighbours were around and able to check up on her. I didn't start baby-sitting for neighbours until I was 12 or 13, but I was definitely baby-sitting my younger cousins when I was 10 or 11. It was good practice, actually. One thing I do think is wrong, however, is in Karen's Bully, when Lisa leaves Karen and Andrew home alone to go to the Dawes's. It wasn't specified how long she was over there, but she definitely wasn't dropping something off and coming straight home. It was implied that she was over there for a social visit. I know she was next door, but I'd never leave a 7-year-old in charge of a 4-year-old if I wasn't in the house. ^Childcare is extremely expensive. I'd bet that there are a lot of middle class families who can't afford it, either. For sure. I went to college for early childhood education and this was something we talked about a lot. At least in Canada, only the lower and upper class families can afford day care. The lower class families get some support from the government, and the upper class families can obviously afford it from their own pockets. That leaves the middle class families screwed over, since they don't make enough money to afford it, but make too much to get government funding. Stephen Harper needs to fix that.
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Post by wenonah4th on Dec 2, 2008 6:26:08 GMT -5
^I'm assuming Stephen Harper is your PM? I should know this....
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fluffycakes
Junior Sitter
A silken-haired beauty with a laugh like pealing bells
Posts: 868
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Post by fluffycakes on Dec 2, 2008 22:15:09 GMT -5
Yup! He is. Well, for a little while longer, at least. There's this complicated coalition thing going on right now, and he might get the boot from Parliament...but that's another issue.
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wanderingfrog
Sitting For The Arnolds
Official BSC Archivist
Posts: 2,552
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Post by wanderingfrog on Dec 3, 2008 0:43:15 GMT -5
^ One can only hope... and I am hoping, because that would be awesome. ;-)
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Post by greer on Dec 8, 2008 19:05:05 GMT -5
That's pretty much the way EVERYTHING works in America, not just childcare.
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Post by Kylie90210 on Dec 8, 2008 21:21:13 GMT -5
The childcare situation sucks here too. This mage big franchise ABC Childcare is going bust because the owner ddi something... anyway, alot of the centres will close down, with none to replace them.
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bsclover18
Junior Sitter
God loves you!
Posts: 813
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Post by bsclover18 on Dec 8, 2008 21:22:19 GMT -5
^Stephen Harper is the PM of Canada...but it's the same for America too.
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Post by wenonah4th on Dec 9, 2008 7:21:10 GMT -5
I'm aware of it, although it doesn't affect us.
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Post by zoar3 on Aug 17, 2009 21:14:16 GMT -5
I'm in the middle of re-reading this one right now. Honestly, I think it would have worked better (been more interesting, to me anyway) if these "memories" had been included in each sitter's portrait book. The first time I read this (still am) remember being very disappointed this book was not about the sitter's baby-sitting memories as in the bsc! That would have been sweet and also a good segue to the subplot (the better plot) in the evil Fire at MA's House. I still wish we had gotten to read the testimonials of the charges in that one and also what Kristy ended up writing. This thread got me realizing that I never did question why Sharon chose to move all the way across country to CT and how Jack would feel about that. I can get her feeling the need to move away from the painful memories and that relocating would be the best way for her to do that. It was mentioned in another thread that for wanting to be close to her parents, Sharon sure did not spend much time with them! If Palo City was truly a small suburb of Anaheim, Los Angeles is a gigundlly huge place and surely since unlike Stacey both Dawn and Jeff were rooted in their environment, Sharon could have at least tried moving nearby. Dawn was 12 to start 7th grade and Jeff 9 to start 4th grade. Thinking about it now, which lol, thinking too hard about bsc, particularly time warp related isn't the best of ideas , but logically wouldn't it have made more sense for Sharon to have waited two more years until Dawn had finished middle school (8th grade) and Jeff elementary school before moving them across country? Possibly by then both D and J would have asked to live full time with their Dad, if Sharon chose to move to CT. Enough of that. Claudia's was awesome for Mimi and for C at so young conceptualizing herself as a butterfly. Too bad as she grew older her self esteem diminished. Kristy's I enjoyed for Louie. I still fail to get why Nannie did not step in to lend a hand during those days, especially when Patrick first left and DM was an infant. Then, 7 years later, she becomes "Mommy" to EM. Mrs. Newton being mentioned made me wish we had heard more about the sitter's earlier experiences with some of the families they now sit for, particularly the Newtons and Pikes. Stacey's ITA with everything that's already been said. MA's was funny the first time around. I'm not a fan of jokes because usually someone ends up getting hurt in some way, but in this case think it would have made for a much better "memory" if MA, K, or C had "remembered" it after a baby-sitting charge had tested them as a sitter. In general I would have enjoyed reading more about the girls' early sitting experiences. Logan's was sweet enough but lol also a bit stalkerish. I, agree with whoever said, they would have preferred his memory to be of his Kentucky days. Shannon's? Boring. Could have been 1-2 sentences near the end of "Kristy and the Snobs." I don't buy it as her first vivid memory at all! Mallory, lol Sparklymouse!!! Of course Henrietta Hayes just happened (the following year) to live a bike ride away from Mallory, be super easy to contact, and immediately embrace Mallory and hire her! AMM gave Mal this one moment of of glory to make up for her Amelia Moody experience the year before. I did like reading about MA sitting for Mal. Maybe because of Snowbound in particular but also MA's times joining the Pikes' in Sea City, make it feel like she is closest to their family. Could see MA and Mal becoming friends. Jessi's, sigh, most anything focusing on her, so so boring. It is amazing to realize her memory only happened the year before!
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