Simkins describes her role within the family hierarchy while she was growing up, primarily in Columbia, South Carolina, during the early twentieth century. Simkins was the eldest of several children, and as a result, she was responsible for helping her mother around the house and taking care of the younger children. Simkins recalls that she grew up quickly and learned about financial responsibility early on. Ironically, perhaps, she also asserts that despite her role in caring for the children, she knew very little about childbirth until she herself became a mother.