Despite having a passion for music, Dolly Parton also has a deep love for children. It started early on in her life. As one of 12 children, she was no stranger to taking care of babies. However, it wasn't always sunshines and rainbows. In a recent podcast episode, Dolly Parton got emotional when discussing her baby brother's death.
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Dolly Parton Gets Emotional
During the podcast episode, Parton explains that her mother and father were very young when they married. By the age of 16, her mother was pregnant with their first child. Then she proceeded to have more children, one right after the other in a continuous succession.
Her mother was having so many children that it was common for her to ask the older children to assist with their younger siblings. In fact, each older child was assigned a younger child that they were specifically responsible for. When Dolly Parton was nine years old, she was assigned the baby she would help care for.
Her mother was pregnant with a little boy, who they decided to name Larry. Despite the work load that Parton was sure to inherit by caring for an infant, she was ecstatic to finally have "her own" baby. Taste Of Country shares Parton's excitement. "I followed Mama around the whole time she was pregnant," Parton recalled. "She said that one was gonna be mine. I'd sing to it, kiss it on the belly, but he didn't make it."
The Tragic Story Of Her Baby Brother's Death
Unfortunately, despite Parton's excitement her baby brother did not live. Dolly Parton got emotional as she relived the emotions of her baby brother's death. "It crushed me," she explained to the podcast host. After all of that anticipation of having a sibling for her to take care of, he died at birth.
She admitted that she hadn't had much experience with death until this point in her life. However, her baby brother's death was a rude awakening to the topic. She recalled, "It was a real hit for me at that age, that I had lost my baby." She continued, "I had a guilt thing about it, somehow."
Despite the toll it took on the entire family, Dolly felt the tragic impact of her baby brother's death more than any of her siblings. Dolly Parton was emotional as she explained, "Because he was supposed to be mine." Recalling how she planned on rocking him to sleep and had been excited to sing her songs to him.
Dolly Parton did not let that unfortunate experience diminish her love of children. While she chose not to have any of her own, she helps other people's children through her platform. Taste Of Country shares how the star established her Imagination Library, "which provides free books for children up to the age of five in many states across the U.S. and different countries across the world."
Now she is fortunate enough to help take care of and touch the lives of many children.
