“We could take their kids off their hands for a day….” BSC # 24 Kristy and the Mother’s Day Surprise

Memory Reaction

I am almost too embarrassed to write this. Because I don’t actually remember this book too clearly, and the reason for that is, when I think of the scene where Kristy’s mom and Watson bring Emily Michelle home for the first time, my mind flashes to the episode of the Brady Bunch Grows Up (or whatever it was called), when Jan and her husband adopted a girl from Vietnam (I think) and everyone was gathered to see her. I have trouble differentiating what was in what, and I can’t remember anything else from the book.

I don’t know what the saddest part about that story is.

Revisited Reaction

Okay, so the basic premise is that Kristy wants to get her mom something great for mother’s day. She comes up with this idea to give her mom a break, and decides to extend it by giving a bunch of moms in town a “break” and volunteering to take care of the kids for a day. Since parent in Stoneybrook can’t get enough time away from their kids, they love this idea. So, the Saturday before Mother’s Day, the BSC takes a group of kids to a carnival in town and then to a park and back to Claud’s house. They get the fathers to help out by making lunches and doing the dropping off/picking up. We even get a guest appearance from Stacey who comes to town to help with all the kids. The day itself goes smoothly and everyone is happy. It is your typical BSC event.

Meanwhile, Kristy’s mom keeps talking about wanting another kid. They all think she is pregnant, but it turns out she and Watson are just adopting a kid. And they did it without telling anyone. Cause it is easy for rich people to cut corners, I guess. At the end they just tell everyone, guess what, we adopted a baby, we are on the way to pick her up. So anyway, Kristy decides that her new sister is the real Mother’s Day Surprise. How sweet. No, really it is.

High/Lowlights

• On one page the ghostwriter refers to “M & Ms” and “M and Ms.” I don’t care which is right, but at least be consistent. We are talking about two different spellings on the same page.

• Yeah, remember when you were seven and thought it was funny when someone told you your epidermis was showing? Karen is at that stage in this book. Cause she is always annoying.

• Kristy’s mom had Charlie right after college. That means when her husband left her and she was forced to work full time and raise four kids, she was about thirty. Wow, good for her (seriously).

• Yeah, Kristy is way too excited about the idea of another sibling. What kind of kid (with 5 siblings already) wants a baby around the house? At least David Michael and Karen/Andrew act realistic about the idea of it.

• Kristy gets all awkward talking about Mother’s Day in front of Mary Anne cause she has no mother. Shouldn’t Mary Anne be used to it by now? I mean, used to hearing people talk about Mother’s Day, not used to not having a mother. Anyway, at the end of the book, MA does and gives her dad a gift. It took her a long time to figure out a book was a good idea, so I wonder what she is going to do in a month when Father’s Day comes up.

• Kristy, Mal, and Jessi get away with making this their Mother’s Day present. I think that is not fair to the rest of the girls in the club. They have to spend a day working for free and still buy a present.

• Mal outfit: “Jeans with zippers up the bottoms of the legs, and a sweatshirt that said Stoneybrook Middle School.” I don’t think I have ever seen pants with zippers up the sides, but I see them referred to in BSC books all the time.

• Jessi was wearing: “a purple dance leotard, and jeans.” How come Jessi always wore colored leotards when she had to wear black ones to dance classes?

• Another outfit: “Mary Anne’s hair was pulled back in a pony tail and held in place with a black-and-white checkered bow that matched the short skirt she was wearing.”

• Dawn wears a necklace that says “I’m Awesome.” No, you are not Dawn.

• Now, we get to Claud. “A tame dress – with a red neck tie! Then she had on these new, very cool, roll socks. When she pushed them down just right, they fell into three rolls. The top roll was red, the middle was peacock blue, and the bottom was purple.” I think I had socks sort of like that in elementary school. Don’t judge, it was the eighties.

• Stacey gets permission to come help with the outing, even though it means blowing off mother’s day with her own mom. Nice.

• There is all this foreshadowing to Mimi’s bad health. That’s kinda sad.

• Stacey outfit: “A tight fitting pink jumpsuit over a white T-shirt, lacy white socks, and those plastic shoes, what are they called? Jellies.” Kristy’s confusion, not mine. But anyway, jellies seem like the worst possible thing to wear for a day at a carnival with little kids. And I don’t think you are supposed to wear them with socks.

• “Claudia wore a pale blue baggy skirt over black and blue spotted pants that tied in neat knots at her ankles. On her feet she wore purple high tops. And [Claudia and Stacey] both wore all this jewelry and these accessories like big, big earrings, and headbands with rosettes on them, and nail polish.”

• Kristy talks about going on the Haunted Mansion ride with Karen at Disney World, but she was totally not with Karen at that point in the Disney World book.

• Kristy just invites the BSC over to hang out and be at the house when her mom and Watson get back with Emily. Doesn’t she think it should be….I don’t know…a family moment. I mean, they make food and a banner so Emily will have a happy first sight. But they don’t think of how they are overwhelming her with a bunch of strangers. It is all-irrelevant, cause Emily is asleep. But it is still rude of Kristy.

• Kristy decides Emily is the best mother’s day present ever, but obviously Emily is not a present for HER because Kristy is not a mother and doesn’t get presents on mother’s day.

• Maybe my mom is strange, but she always says she liked doing things as a family on Mother’s Day.. I mean, I am sure she would have enjoyed a break from annoying children, but she still enjoyed time with her family. I am just pointing out more evidence that the parents of Stoneybrook suck.