I’ve been thinking about families lately, wondering what makes one. Is a family really a mother, a father, and a kid or two? I hope not, because if that’s a family, then I haven’t got one. And neither do a lot of other people I know. For instance, Nannie, Mom’s mother, lives all by herself. But I still think of her as a family — a one-person family. And I think of my own family as a real family . . . I guess.

     What I mean is, well, my family didn’t start out the way it is now. It started out as two families that split up and came together as.

Uh-oh. I know that’s confusing. I’m a little ahead of myself. I better back up and begin at the beginning.

     This is the beginning: Hi! I’m Kristy Thomas. I’m thirteen years old. I’m in eighth grade. I’m the president of the Baby-sitters Club (more about that later). I like sports, and I guess you could say I’m a tomboy. (Well, wouldn’t you

be one if you had a whole bunch of brothers?) I’m not the neatest person in the world. I don’t care much about boys or clothes. I’m famous for coming up with big ideas.

Okay, enough about me. Let me tell you about — Knock, knock.

     Darn, I thought. Who could that be? It was a Friday evening and if I didn’t have any plans or even a baby-sitting job. I was in my bedroom, just messing around, enjoying my free time.

     “Who’s there?” I called. “Oswald!” my little sister replied. Oswald? Oh. . . . “Oswald who?” I asked. “Help! Help! Oswald my gum!” I was laughing as I opened the door and found a very giggly Karen in the hallway.

     “Pretty funny,” I said, as Karen ran into my room and threw herself on my bed. “Where’d you hear that one?”

     “In school.Nancy told it to me. What are you doing with the door closed?”

     “Just fooling around.”