Generation BSC: A Baby-Sitters Club Podcast

Episode 024: Kristy and the Mother's Day Surprise!

November 17th, 2020  |  1 hr 7 mins

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Kate and Lauryn kick off this episode with their excitement over Netflix’s renewal of The Baby-Sitters Club series for Season Two (and include some thoughts about potential plotlines and what we hope to see in the second season). Then circling back to the topic at hand, we discuss another pretty great book in the series that delves into what a family really is through Kristy’s examination of her family (which includes the BSC, but not her “real dad”) and the addition of a new sister, Emily Michelle. We discuss chosen families and found families vs. a family you’re born into and what that means generally and for both of us. We also get into the good and bad of Emily Michelle’s adoption and how it’s handled in this book (and how we wish it had done better as a teaching opportunity). We circle back to one of our favorite topics related to the series – the fact that each book feels like a conversation with a friend and how much we love the way that reinforces our love of these books – and include some asides related to Kristy’s interest in fashion, being childfree, how quietly radical these books really were for their time, that Kristy could be the next Elizabeth Holmes if she gave into some of her worst tendencies, nostalgia, and jellies shoes.

EM014: Emergency Meeting - Netflix Season One, Episode Eight: Kristy's Big Day!

September 8th, 2020  |  40 mins 20 secs

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The Netflix mini-series continues with Kate and Lauryn’s discussion of Kristy’s Big Day, episode eight of the first season. Edie and Watson’s wedding has arrived and we end up with mixed feelings about this one. In particular, we discuss missing the large-scale babysitting job and last-minute DIY nature of the wedding in the book, the overly fancy and “done” nature of the wedding in the show, and the significant issues related to money and expectations – Watson’s lack of focus or care about spending it and the implications on the family as a whole, Edie’s focus of her concerns about Watson’s spending solely on Kristy, and Edie’s reaffirming that she expects more of Kristy (not to mention that this is because Kristy’s her favorite). Notwithstanding some of our concerns, we, of course, express our great love for Karen, Morbidda Destiny, and Marc Evan Jackson. We take an on-topic tangent to discuss appropriation related to the practices of Aunt Esme and her share circle and a broader approach to spirituality and related practices. And of course the episode wouldn’t be complete without a conversation about all the wedding fashion (and Kristy’s very on brand SECOND grey sweatsuit).

EM006: Emergency Meeting - Netflix Season One, Episode One: Kristy’s Great Idea!

July 14th, 2020  |  33 mins 33 secs

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Kate and Lauryn are back with the first Emergency Meeting episode in their summer mini-series to discuss the (hopefully first) season of The Baby-Sitters Club on Netflix! It’s a revisiting of Kristy’s Great Idea, updated to modern day. We discuss how the themes of the episode compare with those of the book it’s based on and find that this one sticks pretty close in spirit, if not in actual plot. There’s a fun montage of Edie trying to find a babysitter that we feel does a great job of justifying why the BSC would be useful and needed even with all the technology we have available today. We touch on how great it is that the kids on the show actually look like kids and discuss how perfectly cast everyone seems to be (with the caveat that there will be further discussions of potentially problematic casting when it comes to Jessi). We laugh at the fact that there is an actual “Danny Tanner Moment,” while appreciating that the show does a great job of turning it into a conversation rather than a parental soliloquy. We absolutely love of Watson and his inclusion in this episode in very integral ways that give us the foundation for his relationship with Kristy we were lamenting not being able to see when we discussed Kristy and the Walking Disaster. Edie’s parenting style when in comes to Kristy vs. Sam and Charlie gives us an opportunity to discuss how we wish the show had done better in some ways. We also obsess over the fashion, question how much kids actually babysit today, praise the level of detail in production design, and round out the episode quoting Kristy’s Breakfast Club-y essay voiceover.

Episode 020: Kristy and the Walking Disaster!

July 7th, 2020  |  1 hr 14 mins

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Emergency Meeting alert! We're as excited as all of you about the Netflix series and will be kicking off a weekly series to do a deep dive into the show to discuss with each other and you. Make sure to subscribe and follow us on social media for updates on new episodes!

Despite being the eponymous Walking Disaster, Jackie Rodowsky plays less of a central role in this book than you’d otherwise expect. He’s there, of course, but so are the 19 or so other babysitting charges who make up Kristy’s Krushers – a rag-tag softball team that is the product of another of Kristy’s “Great Ideas” when she realizes the kids in the neighborhood want to play softball, but maybe can’t otherwise do so for various reasons (most of which relate to being embarrassed about their skills). It’s a light book where we get to spend time with characters we love without any significant deep dive into any character or topic, which is sometimes a nice break in the BSC series. This is the book that introduces Bart Taylor, a very, very, very cute boy (according to Kristy) who has another rag-tag softball team in the neighborhood (although their so-called rag-tag-ness is called into question in our discussion here). We get a nice look into Kristy and Watson’s growing relationship, albeit without much build-up in the prior books to indicate that they are getting closer and more familial. We discuss some of the problematic positions taken in this book (in particular, the condemning of the use of the word fatso, but not of the underlying opinions that being fat is bad, and Bart’s complete failure to apologize for the Bashers’ bullying of Matt Braddock for being deaf), while positing an alternate telling with more focus on Kristy and Bart’s interactions along with brainstorming fanfic as to how Charlie is spending his time from 5:30 to 6 every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Random side topics discussed also include thoughts on Ann’s writing process, vocabulary lessons, fourth wall-breaking, our personal feelings on loose teeth, purposeful misspellings, and twins in pop culture.

EM002: Emergency Meeting - Kristy in Quarantine!

April 14th, 2020  |  22 mins 30 secs

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Kate and Lauryn are going a little stir-crazy in self-isolation and have called another emergency meeting to discuss how we think Kristy is doing in quarantine (with the intent being to discuss each of the girls and beyond as this continues). Kristy is definitely being pragmatic about the situation and doing what she can to make the best of the situation and help however she can. Regarding the BSC, Kristy is, of course, being Kristy and coming up with all kinds of ideas about how the BSC can continue to help their charges and families (while keeping the Club going generally). In particular, we think she’s using technology to coordinate specific Zoom (or otherwise) meetings between individual babysitters and families while also doing something akin to their day camp arrangement, with daily appointments where kids can drop in (or not). (The technology will likely become an integrated part of the BSC’s repertoire, particularly for connections with kids (or babysitters) who have moved away.) In the physical world, we think Karen and Andrew (rather than David Michael as mistakenly referenced in the episode) are likely staying with the Thomas-Brewer house (and maybe their mom is there too à la the Bruce Willis/Demi Moore quarantine situation) and Kristy is keeping them and David Michael busy and engaged to allow Watson and Edie to continue working. Kristy is probably coordinating walk times with human Shannon and their respective dogs along with group hopscotch trails and scavenger and bear hunts in her neighborhood and the old neighborhood where the rest of the BSC lives to get kids outside and moving. We end with a check-in on how we’re feeling and getting through self-isolation this week.

Episode 011: Kristy and the Snobs!

February 11th, 2020  |  1 hr 8 mins

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Kristy’s been living in her new neighborhood for months now and refuses to get to know anyone because they’re all snobs with a pool, multiple tennis courts, and a cook named Agnes. She’s forced out of her self-imposed isolation when the BSC starts advertising in her neighborhood and jobs with new families start coming in, which takes jobs from Kate’s favorite future associate member, Shannon Kilbourne (one of the aforementioned snobs). Kristy and Shannon have a prank war before finally becoming friends after Kristy’s dog Louie has to be put down. Yes, it’s another SUPER emotional book, this time one that completely came out of left field and floored us during reading (as it likely will in this description). We spend some time discussing dogs we love and loved, while also discussing growing into your “self” and feeling comfortable in your skin, quoting Homer Simpson, pondering the power of positive thinking (however that works for you), and obsessing over Amelia Bedelia. Also – we learn how to properly pronounce Mary Anne’s last name thanks to our listener Deanna!!

Episode 006: Kristy's Big Day!

December 3rd, 2019  |  1 hr 4 mins

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Kate and Lauryn take on the wedding industrial complex when Kristy's mom and Watson have to move their Fall wedding up because of "reasons"... In addition, there's the $3 per hour that the BSC members are making for babysitting fourteen children for like 40 hours in one week leading up to the wedding? There are lots of feelings, but of a much more positive variety than last episode! And spoiler alert - Kristy's super on board not only with being a bridesmaid but with the dress and flowers in her hair that go with it. We were way off in our predictions! Shocking, but true!

Episode 001: Kristy's Great Idea!

September 25th, 2019  |  46 mins 42 secs

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Spoiler Alert: Kristy has a GREAT idea and that idea is to create the Baby-Sitters Club. Kate and Lauryn discuss their own Great Ideas related to family structure, gender, children’s understanding and insight into the adult world, nostalgia, and their excitement to keep reading. Lauryn expresses concern with being called babyish and Kate compares a trip to Blockbuster to ignorance in Ancient Rome. They also touch on fashion, Claudia’s hidden snacks, and Lauryn’s obsession with the timeline, of course.