People always seem to wonder how it is that success didn't spoil The Cowsills.
And it turns out to be so simple. They're appreciative of what they are. They've worked hard to get where they are. There are no stars in our family. If the little ones begin to bet a bit swelled, they immediately get put down by their elders. And the younger ones have to admit that they've gotten there through the older ones' efforts.
Actually, there's no reason for "star" complex. The achievement should be glory enough. We take it one step at a time. When we reach one goal, then it's on to the next. The kids' attitude is "that's cool, now we can do something else." We've never gone after success greedily or desperately. To receive a gold record is like whipped cream on a cake.
The kids know how to laugh at themselves. We watch it; if it's not fun, we change it.
No one of us would ever think of trying to tie another into The Cowsills. When one wants to leave, he's free to go. When Bill decided that is was time to strike out on his own, it wasn't earthshaking, even though as one of the original "Cowsills," he was a backbone and leader of he group. We've always tried to give each the spotlight as an individual performer, showcased within the group. Individual identity can't play second base to a group image.
When we think about the future, it's one step at a time. The kids know we're not planning their futures. We don't know their futures; we simply offer them one.
We have never lost sight of the fact that most important is first to have a successful family. Yet we don't want to come off as the perfect family. A family is composed of separate personalities, and more than likely there's a bit of the rebel in each of us. It's unrealistic to expect to bat 1000 every time.
We look on ourselves as individuals who comprise a family unit, and we don't confuse our professional image with our own personalities.
And if we've found success as well as happiness, we're proud of both achievements.
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