On Welcome to Plathville, Olivia Plath hasn’t spoken much about her family or childhood, but some facts about her relatives are available. The few details that she has given paint a picture of an early life that wasn't so different from her husband Ethan Plath’s upbringing. She has mostly kept her distance from many of her family members, in order to continue her journey of self-discovery and acceptance.
Her brother Nathan Meggs was introduced in Welcome to Plathville season 4. He moved in with Olivia, Ethan, and Moriah Plath in Tampa, Florida, to gain more independence and freedom. The two share a close bond, and Olivia has benefited from having one of her siblings right by her side.
According to Starcasm, the Meggs family believed in the practice of not taking birth control, and letting God determine the number of children they had. Families that share this philosophy are often known as “Quiverfull” families, and their family style is something else they had in common with the Plaths. In part one of a documentary, American Family Revival, the Meggs were introduced, and shared their beliefs and Plathville-style conservative way of life. Olivia’s parents are Don and Karen Meggs, and they have 10 children in total. Karen is a stay-at-home mom, and Don is a software development engineer. The video clip was the Istvan J. Balazs - Composer YouTube channel, but it's been deleted:
The Meggs Family Is Large
Don previously worked for a Fortune 500 company in Delaware, and made the decision to move to Roanoke, Virginia, working at a smaller company, to have more land for their children as their family continued to grow. The Meggs live on a few acres of farmland, and have their own homestead. The family members enjoy raising chickens and cows. Don and Karen felt it was important to teach their children the value of hard work, as well as where food comes from. Karen homeschooled the children, and believed that they didn’t have to sit at a table to gain an education, as they were able to learn from their Plathville-style surroundings.
Olivia Learned Valuable Life Skills At A Young Age
Karen also made sure to structure the children’s education around taking responsibility and learning to be self-sufficient. She raised Olivia and her older sister to manage the monthly grocery budget and plan meals, so they could do those tasks when it was time to raise their own families. Also, like the Plaths, the Meggs are a musical family, with many of the children playing various instruments. In the documentary, a 19-year-old Olivia explained that she was born fourth out of 10 children, and that she loves coming from a big family. While chatting about her childhood, she said that she has a large Plathville-type family, “There’s always somebody who’s doing things right even if you’re doing it wrong that can show you the right way to do it. I think of many times where I wasn’t being obedient and one of my siblings was and I could always look at them and be reminded of what I was doing wrong.”
Olivia Had To Share Everything
Having nine siblings also meant that there was no personal space, so the kids were always sharing rooms and personal possessions. Olivia’s older brother Josh Meggs was also introduced in the documentary, stating that he is the second of ten children. He also felt that coming from a big family was a good thing, as it taught him how to solve problems and give others grace. Christian beliefs and "Plathvillesque" values are strongly rooted in the Meggs family, and the church they attend reflects that as well. Their church community gives them the opportunity to gather with other like-minded families, to sing hymns and discuss scripture together.
The Meggs family and the Plath family seem to have a lot in common, and that may explain why Olivia has grown to have boundaries when it comes to how she chooses to live her life. The Welcome to Plathville star has struggled with finding her sense of identity and feeling like she belongs. Since the documentary, she has evolved and grown, becoming the person that she wants to be, instead of whom she is expected to be.
Sources: Starcasm, Istvan J. Balazs - Composer/YouTube