# Does Dolly Parton have kids? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 26, 2006, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dolly-parton-have-kids/354244 "2006-04-26T03:34:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Thinktank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Thinktank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thinktank)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dolly-parton-have-kids/354244/1 "2006-04-26T03:34:50Z")
Just wondering if Country’s oldest blonde has any children? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dolly-parton-have-kids/354244/2 "2006-04-26T03:37:35Z")
If so, I’ll bet they didn’t starve to death. Those moo missiles can feed a whole Army division. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dolly-parton-have-kids/354244/3 "2006-04-26T03:45:52Z")
> [@Airman Doors](#): > > If so, I’ll bet they didn’t starve to death. Those moo missiles can feed a whole Army division. The only thing that could be fed by what’s inside those particular “moon missles” is a bathroom caulking gun. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dolly-parton-have-kids/354244/4 "2006-04-26T03:45:54Z")
Oddly, I do not know. Dolly has been married to Carl Dean for forty years now. The real question is if she is a grandmother. Dolly has always kept her private life private. I find that nice. Or perhaps she has crazed stalker fans. I find that creepy. Perhaps you could ask over at [http://www.dollymania.net/](http://www.dollymania.net/) or some other unofficial web site. (Then let me know.) ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dolly-parton-have-kids/354244/5 "2006-04-26T03:48:09Z")
Probably didn’t get much sun growing up either, living in the shadows of their mother. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dolly-parton-have-kids/354244/6 "2006-04-26T03:51:38Z")
Well, in a word, no. While DP had implants in about 2002, here breasts were a well-know trademark well before then. She claims to have lost weight, and ‘in all the wrong places’ and my Honey used to say. She had implants fairly recently, at about age 55, to restore what she once had. (After all her career started in about 1959 and her appearance has been as constant as you might expect over that time. When the heck were breast implants invented anyway? So during her mothering years she was not enhanced.) ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dolly-parton-have-kids/354244/7 "2006-04-26T04:19:27Z")
According to IMDB: > [@](#): > > She and her husband Carl Dean raised five of her younger brothers and sisters. > > She was unable to have children of her own because of an allergic reaction she experienced to birth control pills when she was younger. So there you go. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dolly-parton-have-kids/354244/8 "2006-04-26T05:18:38Z")
> [@Airman Doors](#): > > If so, I’ll bet they didn’t starve to death. Those moo missiles can feed a whole Army division. Her kids were the ones with the streach marks around their mouth. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dolly-parton-have-kids/354244/9 "2006-04-26T13:32:53Z")
“She was unable to have children of her own because of an allergic reaction she experienced to birth control pills when she was younger” Could a doctor kindly weigh in on this statement. Has there ever been such a thing as allergen caused sterility? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dolly-parton-have-kids/354244/10 "2006-04-26T13:41:55Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > “She was unable to have children of her own because of an allergic reaction she experienced to birth control pills when she was younger” > > Could a doctor kindly weigh in on this statement. Has there ever been such a thing as allergen caused sterility? That does sound like quite the odd statement. Birth control pills are just hormone supplements that supplements what a woman already has to interrupt the cycle. I have never heard of a risk of someone being allergic to them. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dolly-parton-have-kids/354244/11 "2006-04-26T14:47:39Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > Her kids were the ones with the streach marks around their mouth. I don’t want to go all “waaaa! I’m insulted by your insensitive remark” ('cause I know it was a joke, and it was funny)…but since we’re here to fight ignorance and all… Breast size has no correlation with milk production. In fact, I’m not even as big as Dolly, but I am big enough that I \*couldn’t \*breastfeed either of my babies - my nipples are too big for them to get a good latch on. They’re not monster nipples or anything, but they are porportional to very large (natural) breasts. Even repeated attempts with a certified lactation consultant couldn’t get it working. (Well, not entirely true. We thought we had my daughter nursing for a month, but she lost 2 ounces - because the nipple was filling so much of her mouth, she was actually pinching off the milk supply, not drinking it.) It was tres annoying to have these huge honkers and hear people say things like “Bet that kid’s never going hungry!” and then come home and pump milk with a machine and give it to her in a bottle - and have an abnormally low milk supply to boot. [/hijack] As for the birth control question, people can have odd reactions to anything. The second you say a reaction is “impossible”, your next patient will walk in the door with it. Now, it probably wasn’t an “allergy”, strictly speaking (since those are respiratory events.) But we must remember that Ms. Parton is nothing if not a lady, and probably wanted to phrase her “female condition” in the most delicate way possible. It’s entirely possible she suffered cancer, blood clots or endometrial problems which damaged her ovaries or uterus. These are listed as (rare) side effects of the pill. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dolly-parton-have-kids/354244/12 "2006-04-26T15:31:30Z")
I’m going to have cards printed up claiming to be a Certified Lactation Specialist. I had no idea there were such people. What kind of test you have to take for that? ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dolly-parton-have-kids/354244/13 "2006-04-26T15:39:04Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > I’m going to have cards printed up claiming to be a Certified Lactation Specialist. I had no idea there were such people. What kind of test you have to take for that? No test, just lots and lots of practice. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dolly-parton-have-kids/354244/14 "2006-04-26T16:14:02Z")
Sorry, it ain’t about looking at boobies, guys. They take their education seriously. They work in hospitals and with doctors. From [URL=http://www.iblce.org/become.htm]The International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners > [@](#): > > The credential “International Board Certified Lactation Consultant” (IBCLC) identifies an experienced member of the health care team who > ● has acquired specialist skills > ● made an in-depth study of breastfeeding and lactation > ● and passed a rigorous certification examination > > IBCLCs adhere to a Code of Ethics and work within professional Standards of Practice. They are required to keep their knowledge and skills current, and must recertify every 5 years through continuing education or re-examination. Lactation consultants with IBCLC have the one credential that is recognised by all national and international lactation consultant professional associations. > [@](#): > > **What qualification or background in health disciplines must I have?** > > You must either provide evidence that you have a license, degree or registration to practice clinically in one of the health professions or you must document completion of “background” education in each of the following: > > · anatomy and physiology > > · sociology > > · Psychology, counseling or communication skills > > · child development > > · nutrition > > · medical terminology > > “Background” is defined as a minimum of four hours of education in each of the six disciplines above, and is further defined as basic or introductory in content and not as applied to lactation. It should be taught by someone who is qualified to teach that subject at the lowest post-secondary level. > > \ > > **What continuing education in lactation must I undertake?** > > You must have completed and documented a minimum of 45 hours of continuing education in lactation reflecting the exam blueprint, within the three years immediately prior to taking the exam. Private study – many hours over a one to three year period – is also a major component of exam preparation for all candidates, but private study is not counted in the 45 hours and no documentation is required. Further information about this requirement is in the Candidate Information Guide. > > Beginning 2007, if you will be taking the exam in a language other than English (eg French, Portuguese or Spanish), you must have completed a minimum of 60 hours of continuing education in lactation. (This is because most textbooks and journals are in English; candidates who are not able to study these materials have been shown to need significantly more pre-exam education hours to achieve a similar standard of exam performance.) > \*\* > How much experience providing breastfeeding counseling must I have?\*\* > > The amount of post-secondary education you have completed, in any field, determines how many hours of experience providing breastfeeding counseling (BC hours) you are required to have completed before you are eligible to be a candidate for the IBLCE exam. Over many years, IBLCE has collected data that shows that candidates with more education, and in some cases candidates with specific backgrounds, require less experience (fewer BC hours) to pass the exam and be ready to practice competently as an IBCLC. This information has enabled IBLCE to group applicants with certain backgrounds together in pathways, and determine how much prior experience (BC hours) is required for each pathway. Your pathway is just one component of exam eligibility, and relates only to BC hours. > > Standard Pathways > > You should determine which of the five standard path-ways A, B, C, D or E is applicable to you. You must also read the information about BC hours and about how to calculate your BC hours in the Candidate Information Guide. > > Pathway A\* – 2500 BC hours required. > This pathway is available only if you have successfully completed at least 4 full years (120 semester hours) of post-secondary education, > OR you have a bachelor or higher degree (in any field). > > Pathway B\* – 4000 BC hours required. > This pathway is available if you have successfully completed at least 2 full years (60 semester hours) of post-secondary academic credit > OR you have an associate degree > OR you are a diploma RN. > > Pathway C – 900 precepted clinical hours in human lactation required > (ie directly supervised by a recertified IBCLC). This pathway is available only if you have a bachelor or higher degree with a concentration in human lactation from an accredited institution. > > Pathway D – 900 BC hours required. > This pathway is available only if you are a medical practitioner (MD, DO or equivalent degree from an accredited school of medicine or osteopathy). > > Pathway E\* – 6000 BC hours required. > This pathway is available if you have completed less than two full years of post-secondary academic credit. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dolly-parton-have-kids/354244/15 "2006-04-26T16:15:04Z")
Oops, I didn’t realize there’s boobies on that website. Working breasts, to be sure, but maybe NSFW. I’ll alert a mod and have that link broken. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dolly-parton-have-kids/354244/16 "2006-04-26T16:15:55Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > “She was unable to have children of her own because of an allergic reaction she experienced to birth control pills when she was younger” > > Could a doctor kindly weigh in on this statement. Has there ever been such a thing as allergen caused sterility? I’m not a doctor, but I am an IMDB contributor. That’s a trivia item in her IMDB bio. Anyone with an IMDB account can update just about anything on an person or movie. The editors don’t have the ability to research every single item. Some fan probably read or heard that somewhere and posted it. There are lots of bad trivia factoids in IMDB. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dolly-parton-have-kids/354244/17 "2006-04-26T18:54:28Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > > [@Rick](#): > > > > Her kids were the ones with the streach marks around their mouth. > > I don’t want to go all “waaaa! I’m insulted by your insensitive remark” ('cause I know it was a joke, and it was funny)…but since we’re here to fight ignorance and all… > > Breast size has no correlation with milk production. > > In fact, I’m not even as big as Dolly, but I am big enough that I \*couldn’t \*breastfeed either of my babies - my nipples are too big for them to get a good latch on. Ah **WhyNot** that was my point exactly. With a set of hoots like Dolly’s her kids would wind up with streach marks around their mouths tryings to get latched on. Nothing in that joke was about milk production, for that you have to see > [@Airman Doors](#): > > If so, I’ll bet they didn’t starve to death. Those moo missiles can feed a whole Army division. I would just like to add that I read that quote almost 12 hours ago, and I am still giggling like a little kid over the term “Moo Missiles” ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dolly-parton-have-kids/354244/18 "2006-04-26T19:43:27Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > Ah **WhyNot** I would just like to add that I read that quote almost 12 hours ago, and I am still giggling like a little kid over the term “Moo Missiles” I was thinking about pulling out the ol’ “dairy cannons” bit, or the good ol’ “cachungers” line, but no, I went with the new material. I’m glad you were amused. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dolly-parton-have-kids/354244/19 "2006-04-26T19:55:41Z")
I remember when she was on Conan a few years ago and he made a joke about her joining the army to which she replied “I tried to, but they told me I had flat feet…I’ll just have to believe the doctors cuz I can’t see them” ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dolly-parton-have-kids/354244/20 "2006-04-27T01:09:37Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I am big enough that I \*couldn’t \*breastfeed either of my babies - my nipples are too big for them to get a good latch on. Obligatory… pic? me-------\> :wally [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dolly-parton-have-kids/354244.md?page=2)