Little House on the Prarie - The TV show

I grew up watching Little House on the Prairie on television.  It was the TV show that drew me to the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and they became favorites.  I picked up the first eight episodes of season two from my local library.  My kids and I watched them in less than 24 hours.

It took me back to when I was a kid.  How many times did that show touch my heart when I was growing up?  How much did it help shape my values.  I hadn't watched the show much for years.  Once in awhile I would catch a rerun on TV, but I hadn't really just sat down and watched it in a very long time.

I had forgotten the life lessons the show held.  I had forgotten about how, even though the show seems kind of mushy at times, the heart of the show was so positive.  The kids respect for their parents alone was a wonderful example.  Even when the children did wrong, it was so awesome to see them truly repentant for their bad behavior or choices.  I don't think you can even find that on TV now.   To see how a family can be a family, pull together in good times and bad, was inspiring.

I had forgotten, but I'm glad I was reminded.  My children watched the show and truly enjoyed it.  My fifteen year old thought Mr. Edwards was hilarious.  She was quoting his funny sayings throughout the day.  She even made one a facebook status.  I'm willing to bet that there aren't many facebook status quotes out there that come from Little House, let alone Mr. Edwards.

I fully plan to go and check out more episodes, even though I think the library only has one season.  If and when I can, I will get the other seasons.  Even my two year old watched the show.  Imagine, a show where the kids respect the parents.  Imagine a show where the lessons learned are sometimes harsh, but always important.

Now I know that there were a lot of issues that the Little House TV show didn't deal with.  I know that there were issues during that time period that the show didn't really get in depth with.  But I still think that Little House on the Prairie was one of those wonderful shows that touched the heart of America, and still does.

The books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder are classics.  They touch on a time in America that will never come again from a child's perspective.  I know we will use the Little House Books in our homeschool quite a bit.  Now that I've been reminded how awesome the show was, I will probably squeeze in some episodes too.  The character examples alone are a wonderful addition.  And lastly, consider that this is one of the few shows that wasn't afraid to talk about faith and God.  It's hard to find shows on TV now that aren't afraid to have God get a little glory.