Laura: And I've decided something.
Pa: What's that Half Pint?
Laura: Home is the nicest word there is.
When I was growing up, my mom would beg me to watch one of her favorite television shows, Little House on the Prairie, with her. Every time it was on, she'd tell me how much I would love it and just to give it a chance. Being the stubborn child I was, I refused at first. Why would I want to watch a show about the 1800's? I had zero interest. Then one day, tired of her nagging (I guess that's where I get it from!), I finally gave in and sat down to watch an episode with her. And I was hooked.
I quickly fell in love with everything Little House. I was enamored with the life of horse-drawn wagons, one-room schoolhouses, bonnets, and Sunday dresses. It was fascinating to me that the townsfolk had only one store to shop at and that a simple trip into the city could take up to a week.
For Mom and I, Little House became our thing. The show was on at 9:00 and 10:00 every morning, so whenever I didn't have school, I'd head into Mom's bedroom, claim my spot on the floor in front of the tv, and we'd watch. At one point, it was even on two different channels at the same time, so we'd pick which episode we liked better. We watched every single episode of every season, multiple times. In fact, we loved it so much that we bought the VHS tapes, the books (although I can't remember if we ever actually read them), and anything else we could find. I even had a Little House cookbook and Mom would make beef stew just like Ma did. And we became obsessed with anything lemon verbena scented.
Not only did Mom and I share a love for the Ingalls family and a disdain for mean old Nellie Oleson, but it was a way for us to spend time together. I didn't realize it at the time, but for my mom to share a show she loved when she was younger with her daughter must have been really special for her.
When Mom first became sick, she would stay home and watch Little House whenever it was on. Now that she's in a nursing home, we'll put it on if we catch it, and I can tell she's watching. I've even started reading the books out loud to her when it's just her and I alone in her room. And this summer, I found a lemon verbena scented candle at Bath and Body Works, so I knew I had to get it.
This past weekend, I popped in the first season I had picked up on DVD awhile ago. My husband starting watching it with me. After the first episode, he asked if we could watch another. He liked it too. When I asked him a few days later why he liked it so much, his anwer was simple, "Because you and your mom love it."
Be well,
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