Just me and the BSC

When I was 11, I started babysitting for kids outside of my family. It wasn’t always fun and games though. Some kids were complete brats! Then I got the best babysitting job ever, when I was almost 13…for two boys aged one and four (at the time). They were a pleasure to hang out with and we always had fun together (my own boys remind me of them a lot, and not because I’m biased either). My sister and I would tag team babysit and we’d even sing Broadway and Disney songs to them at bedtime. They loved my “kid kit,” as well.

You may have heard the term “kid kit” before. If you read “The Baby-Sitters Club” series (by Ann M. Martin), you would definitely know what it is. It’s basically a box of fun activities to bring with when babysitting. Kids get bored of their own toys and books sometimes (I know this for a fact) and “kid kits” offer variety and entertainment. I not only have the BSC to thank for that, but also for entertaining me and taking me on armchair adventures throughout my youth.

The members of The Baby-Sitters Club (or BSC) were my best fictional friends during my adolescent years. I started reading the books from the beginning, when Kristy first came up with her great idea and invited Mary Anne, Claudia and Stacey to join her in this endeavor. Soon more babysitters joined the pack, with the addition of Dawn and later Mallory and Jessi. (I found out that someone named Abby joined after I stopped reading the books.) The BSC dealt with real issues and also gave great babysitting tips, making their jobs look effortless in the process.

The best BSC books were when they would go on these fabulous vacations, which usually entailed lots of trips to amusement parks. I enjoyed living vicariously through their fun adventures and loved when each chapter of the book had a different character sharing their thoughts about the trip. Sometimes it would take place in a regular series book where it would focus on just one of the characters’ perspectives (i.e. “Boy Crazy Stacey”). Sometimes the characters would find a boyfriend and other times they would learn something new about themselves. I also enjoyed the book where they went to NYC and saw a Broadway show and ate at Hard Rock Café. I’m not much of a NY person these days, but I had never been there when I was younger and got to enjoy the trip using my imagination.

My favorite character was Mary Anne. I felt like I could relate to her the most and I also enjoyed living vicariously through her when she and Logan got together. He seemed like a sweet guy and I was definitely jealous of her good fortune at the time, but I still cheered on their relationship.

There was a TV series about the books for a while. I even enjoyed watching those because they had good casting choices and stayed true to the books. I tried watching the movie once but didn’t like the cast as much and gave up watching after a short period of time. (That was just this past spring; I’m not ashamed to admit! I was hoping it would take me back to my youth, but it just didn’t work for me.)

I’m hoping the BSC will still be around (even as used old copies of the books) when my daughter reaches adolescence. I’d love to introduce her to the fictional friends of my youth because they never age and can be around for future generations. I also would love to see a reunion novel for women my age that grew up with the BSC. That would be fun and I’m sure they’d go on at least one vacation throughout the story. When I was younger, it was my “comfort food” in the same way that “Full House” was, and still is. (Is it a coincidence that the characters on that show also got to go on fun adventures all the time?)

I even admitted recently that the BSC is a guilty pleasure of mine because I’d gladly read a BSC book (or two or three) as an adult, just to go back to simpler times. Especially now that the kids I loved babysitting for the most are adults (and one is even married). And while I’ve never made a “kid kit” for my own kids, I enjoy seeing their surprised looks when I show them toys from my past (such as the ones my parents brought over recently). However, I’m now inspired to make a “kid kit” for when we go on our next vacation. And I hope I can find a babysitter who can watch them consistently and who they will like as much as my sister and I liked our regular sitter (when we were kids) and who will like them as much as I liked my favorite “charges.”