What it was like growing up in a large family in rural Virginia

Large FamilyPhoto byRajiv PereraonUnsplash

I grew up in rural Virginia in the 1950s, when it was not unusual for most families to be large, like the one on the television show "The Waltons." My widowed mother had eight girls and two boys. All ten children were born at home.

Many things were common in large families then, especially if the family was poor like mine.

Our residence

In my large family, bedrooms were shared by more than one or two people. I remember sleeping in a bed with two of my sisters. We wore each other's clothes, with or without permission, especially clean white bobby socks.

Our food

We had designated days to eat certain foods. For instance, we ate fish every Friday and fried chicken only on Sundays. We took turns cooking, including making biscuits from scratch.

Designated chores

Each child had designated chores to do the old-fashioned way. We washed our clothes on a scrubboard because we did not have a washer. We hung our wet clothes to dry on a clothesline in the yard.

We rotated scrubbing the floors on our knees. The person who took the last dipper full of water from the pail had to go outside to get more drinking water from a pump.

Our entertainment

We played a lot of hopscotch, jumping rope, and shooting marbles. All the siblings shared the same bicycle. We entertained ourselves by sitting on the front porch and watching cars go by. We would guess what color the next car would be. Playing that game took a long time because we lived on a rural road, and few cars drove by.

Old black and white televisionPhoto bySebastien LE DEROUTonUnsplash

We watched our black and white television at night and on the weekend, provided all chores had been completed. Before we had a television, we would listen to stories on the radio.

Party line telephone

Our first telephone was a party line. We were required to answer the phone only on our designated ring, and the neighbors could listen to our conversations.

Good memories

Growing up in a large, poor family had some challenging times. However, there were also some good memories. No matter how scarce money was, my mother always brought us penny candies whenever she went to the general store. Sometimes, there would be Mary Janes, Squirrel Nuts, or Kits.

SistersPhoto byApril LaughonUnsplash

Advantages of growing up in a large family

• There was always someone to play with.
• There was always someone to argue and fight with.
• There was always someone to share our secrets.

If you grew up in a large family, feel free to share your experiences.