One of the most deplorable things people can do is convince someone to give up their life savings in exchange for quack medical cures. People will do anything to save their lives, and it's unconscionable to take advantage of their situations. The American health care system already takes advantage of people (#medicare of all). That might be why people look for cheaper alternatives to proven healthcare.
Stacey's parents want to cure her diabetes and are willing to drag her around to charlatans to do so. Stacey has to stop them before they drop ten grand on some crystal bullshit. That's not in the book, but if this were written today, they'd be blaming vaccines and spending their money on crystals and essential oils.
SPOILERS AFTER THE COVER!!!
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
As usual, the book starts with a BSC meeting where they discuss the impending birth of Mrs. Newton's second child. They want to make sure that one of them is always available in case the Newtons have to go to the hospital since they're "such good customers." Solid plan. Consistent, good customers should receive some special privileges (but the customer shouldn't expect it – my thoughts on this are complicated). The meeting turns south when Janine enters with a flyer for the brand new company "The Baby-Sitters Agency."
After some digging (including a pretend baby-sitting inquiry) it turns out that the business owners, Liz and Michelle, have a network of friends they can call, some of them older, and act more like a liaison to the parents. The way it works is that the parents call the phone number, Liz or Michelle calls around to see who is available, and then call the parent back with a sitter. They don't do any baby-sitting themselves (neither do the baby-sitters they send, really, but we'll get to that).
Stacey talks about her previous life, including her former best friend, Laine Cummings. They had a falling out after Stacey wet the bed they were sharing because of Stacey's undiagnosed diabetes. After a series of doctor visits, Laine accused Stacey of faking it for attention. Laine is the type of person who says that people with depression should just exercise and go vegan if they want to "get happier." After that, Stacey and her family moved to Stoneybrook.
Later, Stacey's mom wants to speak with her. She tells Stacey that she wants her to see a TV doctor named Dr. Barnes in New York. Apparently, Dr. Barnes has some new treatment that Stacey's parents think will cure Stacey of her diabetes. Stacey doesn't want to go because she'll miss three days of school and she has no desire to see a new doctor, especially one that her Uncle saw on television. Imagine Dr. Phil attempting to cure your lupus. I'm surprised Dr. Barnes doesn't go by Dr. Brad.
During a special BSC meeting, Kristy proposes the idea of Kid-Kits in order to make themselves more appealing to their babysitting charges and their parents. This is one of the few ideas that Kristy has that actually sticks, and Kid-Kits are a staple of subsequent Baby-Sitters Club books. Kid-Kits are basically toys and games and activities for the children that each babysitter can take with them on jobs. This is a good idea. However, Kristy's other ideas aren't so great.
