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BARRY COWSILL seems to have everything he wants in the whole world. He's handsome, talented, intelligent, popular and well on his way to becoming very rich. Yet when it comes to something as simple as dating, Barry has his problems. And when you add up all the small problems, the sum is one big dating dilemma.
One of Barry's main problems is finances. Even though he makes a great deal of money for a young boy, he still has to live
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on the same kind of allowance any other boy his age would receive.
His parents, who are experienced when it comes to raising kids, don't want Barry to be spoiled by his success. So the money he makes is put away for him. Some of it will go to his education ... and he'll receive the rest when he's old enough to manage it wisely.
This means that if Barry wants to date, he has to pay for it out of his allowance—
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which isn't that big. And this is often hard for him.
Barry's pretty young, of course. But because of his career, he meets many more girls than most boys his age. For him, dating isn't as simple as attending parties and sports events and school dances. So it's got to cost him more money than it would another boy his age—money he doesn't have right now.
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Barry's career also interferes with his social life. His work, which he loves, takes up a great deal of his time. He goes to recording sessions, makes public appearances, goes on tour, gives concerts and, of course, spends time rehearsing with the rest of the group. In addition to this, there's his school work to keep up.
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All this doesn't give Barry much time to date girls. And it also makes it hard for a lasting friendship to develop. Often, Barry will take out a girl, have a good time with her, and want to see her again. But when he goes to make another date with her, he'll realize he's tied up with work for weeks ... and sometimes even months!
Barry's family is also part of his dilemma. You see, even though Barry's fifteenth birthday is September 14th, his family still treats him as a "youngster." Barry's the third youngest child out of seven. And when his parents look at his four older brothers, they can't very well think of Barry as an adult. To them, he's still their "little Barry." So they're not very concerned about his dating life right now. They figure he's got plenty of time for that.
As for his older brothers, they tease him good-naturedly when he brings up his dating problems. Barry laughs it off 'cause he knows they're only joking and that they only want the best for him. But deep inside, Barry knows they don't realize how much harder it is for him than it was for them.
After all, The Cowsills' success has made Barry more mature for his years than they were at his age. (The C's hadn't formed a group yet when the older boys were fifteen.) And it's a definite problem for Barry to be an idol to millions of girls ... and still not be able to fulfill his dating desires.
Of course, in time, all these problems
will eventually solve themselves. Barry
knows this. But in the meantime, he has
no choice hut to accept things the way
they are and try to work them out as best
he can!
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