Amelia and Muriel, her sister, nicknamed respectively Meelie and Pidge were raised in an unconventional manner.  Their mother, Amy Earhart was an active woman outside the home, and never forced the girls to act as "proper ladies."  Edwin, their father, who never had a son, loved his two tomboy daughters, who filled the void.  Neither child played with dolls, though they did have favorite wooden animals.      "Meelie and Donk (her donkey) lived rigorous lives which no sawdust-filled, china-headed beauty could have survived.  They were made to march through puddles, used to pound nails, or buried alive in the daytime.  But, during those early years we never slept until the two battered but faithful creatures were on guard at the foot of our beds." (Morrissey, 17).      To further separate the Earhart girls from the other young ladies in the neighborhood the two often wore specially made jumpsuits for playing outdoors rather than a full length dresses.  They didn’t care if they were different, and both were content and happy playing with Ralphie, the boy next door.  Together with Ralphie they recreated the World’s Fair in their backyard.  The roller coaster, which consisted of a box on greased two by fours nailed to the roof of the shed, caused Amelia to have a fat lip and a tear in her clothes on its maiden and final voyage.