They carried babies.
They prepared meals.
They repaired worn-out clothes.
They helped with chores before and after school.
In many large families during the Great Depression, children became part of the family’s survival system.
They were not just any children.
They were helpers.
Partners.
An extra pair of hands when their parents needed them most.
The tradition of ‘turning clothes inside out’
One of the most memorable aspects of the family story is how they shared their clothes with each other.
The children did not all have their own wardrobe.
They couldn’t do that.
Clothing was expensive.
The budget was limited.
The family therefore devised a system that the neighbors later called ‘Turning Clothes Over’.The clothes went from one child to another.
The oldest were the first to carry something.
When it became too small, it went to the next child.
And then the next one.
And the next one.
