The Clan

Clan (klan) n. - A united group of relatives, or families, having a common ancestor, one hereditary chieftain, and the same surname. (Webster’s Dictionary). When one hears the word clan, he usually thinks of a tight-knit, loving family that has many things in common. While my family typically fits the description, there are those times when we are the exact opposite. My immediate family is composed of five children; I am the baby of the bunch. Each one of the children is unique in his or her own way.
Courtney: Mommy

Courtney, also known as Roo-Roo, is a mom and sister all wrapped into one. It is a fabulous feeling to have someone that cares about you like a mother but is also a best friend at the same time. Being the oldest of five children, Courtney was forced to watch and take care of the rest of the siblings; this caused her to grow up faster than we did. She is amazing at giving advice, and even better, she is amazing at keeping secrets from Mom. With an eleven-year age difference between the oldest and youngest, she acts more like a mother to me then to any of the other children. Now, she is in nursing school and the mother of my beautiful two-year old god-daughter. Because she had so much previous experience in practically raising children, she is an unbelievably incredible mother to her daughter, McKayla.
Geoffrey: Poor Baby

In all fairness, Geoffrey, also called Eppy, is the only boy in the clan. All I can say is: poor baby! He is the second oldest child of the family. Being the only boy, Eppy had a major disadvantage. He unfortunately was able to experience four young girls go through puberty, and well, we all know what that means: not such a delightful time of life. He definitely made up for the girls out-numbering him; he always physically out-strengthened each of us. To this day, he still hits my arm and laughs as I helplessly look at my mom knowing that she cannot do anything to stop him; he is 25 and bigger than her, too. He is now in a nursing program and engaged. Although he is literally a big pain in the behind, everyone loves him. How could we not? No matter how old he is, he will still be our “poor baby.”
Katie: Success

Contrary to popular belief, the middle child does get a lot of attention. Katie is the beautiful, outgoing, energetic, extroverted child. She played sports at a young age and became a cheerleader in elementary school. She was on the cheerleading team from her freshman to her senior year of high school; she was captain of her team her senior year. Not only was she nominated for homecoming court, but she was crowned queen. She attended Texas Christian University and graduated with a degree in marketing and business; this is where her success shines. She has a very lucrative job and lives in Texas. She is 23, and she supports herself financially. She is the “in-shape” and healthy person of the family. She is also the most giving and thoughtful of the bunch. One word sums up Katie: success.
Carly: Genius

One thought comes to mind when I think about Carly: Daddy’s girl. Everyone, including Mom and Dad, knows that Carly is the spitting image of Dad when it comes to intellect. My dad is what would we like to call a genius, and we all know where Carly gets it. Brilliance comes naturally to her; I have always admired that about her. Carly is also quite the manipulator. She is not manipulative in an evil sense, but she can get anyone, especially Dad, to do anything for her. She knows which buttons to push and exactly when to push them. Presently, she is a sophomore in South Carolina where her intellect truly flourishes.

All of the children have different dreams and aspirations. We are all going separate ways in our career path and in the path of life. No matter how far apart our dreams take us, we are always brought back together because we are a family, a loving unit. Like every other family, ours goes through turmoil and strife, but no matter what, we are always there for each other. After all, that is what families are for.