A Continuation of the Cast of Characters

OK, Here's the rest of the story...I think I need to go back and give Caitlin a little more space here. As I said, she is the only girl and the baby of the family. She was our little "dancer"; actually took lessons for 12 years! Her teacher was a graduate of Juliard and Caitlin was quite a little dancer. I remember the dance recitals very well...every year, all of the brothers would have to attend the recital with us AND bring a bouquet of flowers to present to her at the end of the recital. Caitlin called them, "My boys"! Anyway, we clicked along very nicely being a dancer and then when Caitlin entered junior high school, she decided she wanted to be a cheerleader. Ok, I thought...so, we'll start taking gymnastics. My husband is athletic, as are my children. Me, hmmm....I really don't and have never played any type of sport, team or individual. I'm not that athletic and don't really like competition that much. Once, a high school coach asked me where I fit in with this family because I was the most non-competitive person he had ever met. Anyway, back to the cheerleading. Remember, I had 3 boys and at this point 3 teenage boys. How inadequately I was prepared for a teenage daughter and all that entailed! My first experience into this "teenage girl arena" was those junior high cheerleader reahearsals for tryouts. All I can say is...WOW!!! This trumped everything I had ever been involved in with the boys (football, baseball, basketball, soccer, golf, etc.). Mothers had video cameras, they were coaching their girls from the sidelines and watching other girls who might be competition for their "future cheerleader". I soon realized that this was serious business! Well, let's just skip ahead and let you know that my little Caitlin did indeed become a cheerleader and that is when the fun REALLY began. I will share more on this later. We will now move on to me. I grew up Barbara Lemmons in Tioga, Louisiana. I am one of only 2 children. I have a sister who is 15 years older than me...yes, you heard that right...15 years! I was the "Late in Life Child" and supposedly entered this world with a "BANG"! I am also very opinionated, but also very down to earth and caring about others. Let's start from the beginning. My father died when I was 6 years old; the July before I entered the 1st grade in August. This was in the 60's and divorce was not as common as it is now, so I always felt a little odd only having 1 parent; I don't really remember any of my friends not having 2 parents. My mother had cared for my father at home until his death; she had always been a stay at home mom. Unfortunately, she had only completed school through the 11th grade and had no skills to be able to go to work. I can remember her taking a job as a lunchroom worker at my elementary school. I wasn not emabarassed by that; I kind of liked the fact that she was there where I was every day. But she did enroll in night school to complete her high school education and get a GED. After that, she went on the Trade School to become a nurse; and LPN. During these years, I spent quite a bit of time being juggled from realtive to relative to baby-sit for me while she was going to school. Some were fun...some were not.