For the 50th anniversary of this fascinating and precious series, we return to the savannah.
I grew up in Little House on the Prairie with my family and best friends. It was an important part of my childhood as we learned valuable lessons about family love, community, and true friendship.
Although the show was a hit in the 1970s and 1980s, even the actors had no idea how the show would impact audiences 50 years later.
Over nine seasons and three movies, we’ve watched the Ingalls family and their friends go through trials and triumphs together.
The pilot movie and the first season stayed closer to Laura Ingalls Wilder’s original novel, while Michael Landon added creativity and more characters to later seasons.
These books and series provide us with valuable lessons about frontier life, family, and injustice. I looked at some of them differently as a child than I do as an adult, but they stayed with me for many years.
Home is the best word
Laura said this line in the first episode of Friends Gain, and it set the tone for the entire series. In addition to the fact that “home is where the heart is,” it’s also important to remember.
The Ingalls family can stand up to anything as long as they stay together. They left Walnut Grove a few times, and Charles always said he hated the city, but if his family stayed together, he could handle it.
When Mary and Adam opened a school for the blind there, they moved to Winoka, where they stayed almost the longest, but eventually moved back to the small house with Albert.
It was difficult for Charles to leave Mary, but part of his heart still belonged to the little house, and he had to let his eldest daughter grow up.
Everyone needs a friend like Mr. Edwards
We all need true friends like Mr. Edwards, the man who would brave a snowstorm to make sure your children received their Christmas gifts or stay with you in your search for a missing child.
Victor French (Mr. Edwards) has a great rapport with his castmates, but he’s closest to Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, as evidenced by his on-screen interactions with Charles and Law This can be seen in the relationship between pull and pull.
From the beginning he was there assisting them in building their home in Kansas until the time of Albert’s death. When Mr. Edwards needed help to get sober, almost everyone had given up on him, but Laura took him in.
These friends are like family and will stay with you and your family throughout your life.
Charles Ingalls is the ultimate girl dad
Charles Ingalls was the ultimate girl dad of the 1970s and ’80s. He had a special relationship with Laura, although he also loved Mary, Carrie, and Grace.
It’s so bittersweet to rewatch these episodes because my mom named me after Laura Ingalls Wilder.
My dad nicknamed me “Half Pint,” just like Charles called me Laura because of my love for the show. It makes me miss my father who passed away a few years ago.
Everyone thought Charles wanted a son, but he had many conversations with his daughters, especially in the attic or by the lake.
He knows how to make everyone feel special as He heals a broken heart and wraps them in His safe arms.
One of the best things about being in a small town is that you get to know your neighbors and they will lend a helping hand when needed.
One of the most important lessons I learned from Little House on the Prairie is the importance of compassion and coming together as a town.
With the exception of Mr. Edwards, the Ingalls were secluded in Kansas, so when Charles was injured and needed help stacking wheat, they were surprised that the men came to his aid so quickly.
But it was just one of dozens of gatherings around town. One of my favorite episodes is “The Inheritance” where Charles thinks he inherited a lot of money from a rich uncle, but it’s fake.
The Ingalls lost almost everything, but their friends bought their land and horses for just a few pennies so that Charles could easily buy them back.
Another time, when the town was falling apart, the Ingalls and Garvey families took the lead in rebuilding it to show that it still had life. This was the last time Mr. Hanson, one of the original town leaders, was seen in public.
Anything a man can do, a woman can do too
While many gender stereotypes assume that men work on the farm and women belong in the kitchen, Little House shatters these notions.
Caroline and Laura worked in the fields, growing potatoes and trees to help their family make ends meet, even while they were pregnant. Even young Carrie helped grow potatoes and vegetables.
As the Ingalls and Garvey families rebuilt the town, everyone—men, women, and children—pulled out weeds and washed and repainted the buildings.
In a twist of fate, Harriet and Nellie Olson’s husbands were better cooks than they were.
Nellie eventually learns it, but Harriet never masters it, and Nels has just realized that his wife has other talents, such as running a business.
Failure is part of trying
Little House on the Prairie parents have more realistic expectations for their children. Regardless, they are proud of them because they know that most of the children also work hard on the farm, which also teaches them life lessons.
The Ingalls knew this and reiterated to Mary and Laura that failure was part of trying.
Mary sets unrealistic expectations for herself because she thinks the entire town will be disappointed when she comes in second place in a town-sponsored math contest.
Laura has strived to be perfect like her sister since she was a child, but she failed in her graduation exam.
To cheer Laura up, Almanzo even shared how his sister had repeatedly failed the teacher entrance exam.
Today, children face higher expectations and many no longer take life skills classes in school.
confident
Having faith is crucial, especially in times of testing.
That’s all that matters when Caroline cuts herself on an infected wire when no one else in the house is around.
Before she died, she cut and bandaged the wound herself using her own beliefs and experiences.
Pastor Alden was vital in spreading the faith, especially to children. He talks to young Laura and, years later, Jenny Wilder (played by a young Shannen Doherty) about how to get closer to God and heaven.
Laura even took things literally, climbing a mountain while praying to get closer to God. Often, we know that pastor means God knows best and you don’t need to go that far.
DNA doesn’t make a family; love does
Although this is the theme of The Fosters, it also symbolizes Little House on the Prairie.
It was the first show to showcase adoption, which meant a lot to me as an adoptee.
Mr. Edwards and Grace Snyder married and adopted three children in season two, but the idea didn’t take off until the Ingalls adopted Albert in season five.
The series highlights real issues in blended families, such as Laura’s jealousy of Charles’ attention to Albert, as she’s used to being his favorite.
Similar problems occurred again when the Ingalls home was filled with more orphans, James and Cassandra.
The family loved them as their own children, but James often annoyed Albert because he always wanted to follow him everywhere.
After Nellie moves away, the Orsons adopt a little girl, and Harriet needs another little girl to care for, and we even see an orphanage. Things were different then, but making sure the children had a home was a priority.
Marriage is forever
Unlike today, where divorce is commonplace, marriages on the prairie lasted forever, and nearly all major marriages were regularly tested.
Things seemed simple enough at the time, but Charles and Caroline’s marriage was tested after their son’s death and they had to move frequently due to flooding and crop failures. At that time, you chose to stand with your partner and fight side by side.
Mary and Adam were often tested because Mary was afraid of raising a family with two blind parents. While it’s wonderful, it’s a big adjustment when Adam regains his sight after a freak accident.
Even the Olsens’ marriage is a joy to watch. Harriet Olson was usually bossy, but Nels admitted that he loved her.
Their roles are the opposite of most traditional ones in that Nels is a better cook than Harriet, but it works for them.
Thanks to modern medicine
Dr. Baker works harder than anyone in the series, and it’s often a thankless task.
People in town accused him when loved ones died from diseases like anthrax or smallpox.
There’s only so much a small-town doctor can do, especially when most of his patients pay him not in cash but in chickens.
It makes you appreciate the modern medicine, hospitals and insurance that provide vaccines and treatments today.
Poor Dr. Baker gets so tired, but most of the time, you’d never realize it.
Tolerance goes a long way
Some of the episodes involving racism or religion may seem dated now, but they were progressive in the late 1800s and often made white people realize the error of their ways.
“Blind Journey” is one of my favorites because in the beginning, Mrs. Olson’s reaction to Joe Kagan is just as racist as her reaction to Mr. Larrabee.
However, when she overheard a little black boy asking Joe Kagan why she didn’t like him; she reassessed her stance and decided they were just two different colors.
Racism is a common theme in the series, and Dr. LeDoux experiences this when he joins Dr. Baker’s practice, as most of the people in the town are stuck in their own ways and don’t want an African-American doctor to treat them.
The series also tells how the Olsens and Percival’s parents, as is custom for their first grandchild, refused to compromise on their grandson’s religion. They all had to learn to tolerate Christian and Jewish practices.
The darkest hour is just before the dawn
Little House on the Prairie symbolizes this: after a tragedy, a small miracle happens. In other words, you have to keep the faith.
This happened to Mary more than anyone else.
She became blind, but after moving to a school for the blind, she met her husband, Adam. Adam regained his sight after an accident and later became a lawyer.
Laura and Almanzo lose everything when Almazo suffers a stroke and is unable to work, a hailstorm destroys their crops.
After a tornado destroys their house and Laura is devastated, Almanzo finally decides to walk again and rebuild the house.
These are just a few of the things I learned from Little House on the Prairie. If I listed them all, we would be here forever. If that doesn’t mean the show is well-written, what does?
What did you learn from the series? We’d love to hear your thoughts below.
