Goodreads Review: “The Baby-Sitters Club #81: Kristy and Mr. Mom”

After the heavy subject material of my previously read book (Christina Crawford’s biographical story about growing up the daughter of Joan Crawford, Mommie Dearest), I figured something lighter (read: no bios or autobiographies) was in order. I did have one book on my “unread” list on Kindle. Of course, it wound up being from my occasional retread of The Baby-Sitters Club.

But hey, no wire hangers and such. That’s a relief!

Kristy and Mr. Mom by Ann M. Martin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Continuing on through my retread of The Baby-Sitters Club series (an ongoing “project” of sorts since 2016), I pick up with one I read back in 1995, haven’t read since then, and still remember most of the major details.

The mind, I tell ya. It remembers what it wants to.

In “Kristy and Mr. Mom” (BSC #81), Kristy’s stepfather, Watson Brewer, suffers a heart attack while shoveling snow. His busy life and stressful job (family, CEO of a multinational company), combined with the exertion prove to be rough on his heart. Upon returning home and during his recovery, Watson decides he is going to turn the day-to-day of his job over to his Vice President, make himself available to his company when needed, and tackle a new job…Mr. Mom! The idea is a different one, and one that turns the already chaotic Brewer/Thomas household upside down.

In the book’s “B-Plot”: The Club deals with a parent hiring the BSC for regular babysitting services with the expectation that one sitter will watch five kids (a club no-no, which they realize they haven’t exactly advertised). Will this become a problem for the club?

I recall liking this one when I first read it in 1995 (one of the last I read before I gave up the series). I like the “business crisis” the girls go through when they realize that a parent isn’t exactly being truthful about the amount of charges. When I was twelve, I babysat for five kids between seven and ten years old. That wasn’t as bad as taking care of five kids under seven, but still, five kids is five kids! I wasn’t ok with the idea (I’d read so many of these books by that point that I knew one sitter to five kids wasn’t exactly safe), but I’m still here, so I obviously survived. But honestly, as an adult, I’m reading this and wondering how I took care of five kids when I was barely older than them. I think the only thing harder (for me) than taking care of five kids as a twelve-year-old is being a non-parent taking care of a toddler. I did that at 22 years old (with no childcare experience caring for a toddler). Again, I survived.

Of course, The Club (as well as the Brewer-Thomas family) resolve their problems effectively. The ending is standard Baby-Sitters Club fare, but that is (of course) always to be expected.

As I do with all the BSC books, I recommend them (including “Kristy and Mr. Mom”) now the same way I did when I was twelve years old. Even if you’re approaching these stories as an adult, they still hold up well and are still entertaining. The adult readers that are now parents could probably even relate to the adult characters in this particular story!

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