04 The Basile Children

Joseph and Janet Basile had four children from 1950 to 1960. They had Michael in 1954, Peggy in 1957, Stephen in 1959 and Donna, my mother, in 1960. After 1960, they had two miscarriages and then Antoinette was born in 1965. Raising as many as five children in that generation, although not unheard of, was becoming less and less popular as the years went on. Joe and Jan, on the other hand, deeply loved their children and were ready if another one were to come along.


The challenge of raising children properly seems to have become more difficult as the generations progress. Joe feels that raising his children would have been much more difficult if it had been in today’s generation. He feels that it was a much simpler process without the distractions and harmful influences that today’s youth have to become exposed to. He said that he never had a problem with his children watching too much television, or other technologies, and that drug and alcohol use was never a trouble for his children. Joe and Jan’s goal was to raise their children in a safe and healthy environment while providing them was a great education.