Details About Dolly Parton's Childhood Growing Up With 11 Siblings

Dolly Parton's lavish life nowadays is in total contrast to her humble upbringing. Speaking to USA Today in 2020, the "Jolene" hitmaker revealed that her parents, Avie Lee Owens and Robert Lee Parton Sr., tied the knot when they were just teenagers and welcomed a dozen kids in the two decades that followed. The considerably massive Parton family resided in Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountain area, where they didn't have concrete roads or even essential facilities like hospitals. So, when her mother had issues while delivering the future country star, a missionary doctor arrived on a horse to assist. Similar to other families in the area, the Parton household was quite poor, so they could only afford to pay him in cornmeal from the crops they grew. 

In a 1978 chat with Playboy, Dolly opened up about her childhood struggles growing up in a large, low-income family. The "9 to 5" songstress recalled that she shared a bed with several of her siblings each night, and the younger ones often relieved themselves on her as they slept. During the summers, Dolly waited until the morning to get cleaned up, but when winter arrived, she didn't mind the pee quite as much. "That was the only warm thing we knew in the winter time," the living legend quipped (via Wide Open Country). "That was almost a pleasure to get peed on because it was so cold. Lord. It was as cold in the room as it was outside. We'd bundle up to go to bed."

During an interview with People in 2024, Dolly Parton confirmed that her childhood meals frequently consisted of rabbits, squirrels, groundhogs, and various other animals that her family could hunt in the surrounding area. The Grammy winner asserted in an appearance on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" that while their diet may seem odd to some, it was entirely normal for the locals since their only other option was to go to bed hungry. In her People interview, Dolly noted that since she was one of the older ones out of her 11 siblings, she had to start helping her family prepare meals at an age when the future country icon couldn't even reach the table without hoisting herself up on a chair. 

In fact, in her documentary, "Dolly Parton: In Her Own Words," the beloved "Islands in the Stream" hitmaker explained how she would let her mom get some rest and wake up at around 4 a.m. so she could pack her father's lunch and spend a few hours with him as he worked tirelessly on their tobacco farm. While Dolly looked back on the conversations she had with Robert Lee Parton fondly, the same cannot be said for a terrifying incident from her childhood. 

During a 2017 interivew on the "Dr. Oz Show," the country star detailed how she severely hurt herself after landing on a broken mason jar while jumping across a fence. However, her family couldn't afford medical care, so Dolly's mom simply poured kerosene on her wounds as a makeshift antiseptic and then stitched Dolly up on the spot using household sewing needles. As the singer quipped, "She literally had to sew my toes back on."

Notably, while speaking to The Guardian in 2016, Dolly Parton confessed that although she grew up in relative poverty, she never felt like she was missing out on anything. As the singer-songwriter argued, "We always had food, a roof over our heads and clothes on our backs." Dolly continued, "It wasn't exactly what we wanted but Mama and Daddy were always quick to point out the families that suffered far more than we ever did." It was only when the country legend reflected on everything they did to survive as an adult that she fully understood the family's dire financial state. However, that realization didn't stop her from thinking of her younger years in a positive light. 

In fact, when she thought back to that time in her life during a 2015 appearance on "Today," Dolly reasoned, "We didn't have any money, but we were rich in things that money don't buy. You know, like love and kindness and understanding." And we saw a great example of the family's tight-knit bond during the Grammy winner's People interview, when she proclaimed that although everyone had tons of important responsibilities throughout the day, they still made it a point to always have dinner together and chat after Robert Lee Parton returned from work. 

The "Coat of Many Colors" singer even told Entertainment Tonight that she wouldn't change any part of her childhood because she would be a different person without those formative experiences. Ultimately, Dolly's childhood struggles only inspired her to make the world a better place, hence why she's engaged in countless charitable endeavors.