This story grew out of an extended family system in rural Mississippi in the early 1940s. This occurred at a time when many black families were immigrating North. A young African American boy of age 18 months had the misfortune of being caught in the middle of squabble between his two parents who were desperately trying to escape the rigor of Southern plantation living that they were in. Finally, his mother was told by his father in no uncertain terms to just bring the girls to Detroit and leave the boys behind with their grandmother. This put such a strain on this young child that even after he had been potty trained, he eventually had to be put back in diapers.
