Laura was quite a little pistol

I was talking to a girl at work about LHOP, she started watching it again a year or so ago. When I said I liked Albert and Mary, she said the same and Caroline. She said Laura always seems like the good girl but she really had a nasty side if you look at the episodes. I asked her what she meant and she said, "You never see Nellie redeemed until much later, Laura can be mean but says she's sorry and goes on. She went on with a fresh list in her head, newly watching them and I laughed at how, out of context, she really was a pistol

She didn't listen to he Pa often, from untying Jack to going into homes he told her not too (Mr Pike)
She was jealous of her sister Mary being smart a few times.
She took money for Rev Alden's gift and squandered it on useless items
She was jealous of her brother and ran away, causing even more heartache.
She was jealous of her new brother Albert and caused him to run away.
She was jealous of Nellie having more things and stole a music box and broke it.
She was jealous of Nellie liking Almonzo and ruined a dinner she made him.
She trusted Nellie who never was kind to her and then gets angry she lied to her and fought her
She was jealous of Christy and seemed to ruin her dress the day of the circus.
She was jealous of a girl in Winoka that Almonzo was helping and never asked for explanation.
She was jealous of Almonzo's old friend after she was married and tackled her in the street like a child.
She would get angry that Almonzo wanted dinner and couldn't understand she was a teacher and busy (you did want to get married)

I can't remember any more that she said but of course Laura had many warm and sweet episodes also, but she really had another side that I think they overused which was her jealousy and "It's all about me". I was just taken back by hearing it all together..while other old fans in the lunch room added to it. : ) A fun "do you remember this" break in the day.

I never realize that. That is too funny.

I'Ve been jealous many times too.

I think lot of times she means well.She just didn't think before she did stuff

They just had her making them over and over again, the jealousy and immaturity were just character flaws, even if her heart was in the right place. Doing something at 9 and then 12 and then 16 and then 18 for an example (not tying it in to her age exactly) is what is noticeable.Whether she was jealous of a boy that liked someone else, her sister's grades, having a sibling to take attention away from her, another rival even if in her imagination, that impulse to hurt and be angry was just there.

Praire Girl wrote:

That just had her making them over and over again, the jealousy and immaturity were just character flaws, even if her heart was in the right place.

Yes!.She sure was! Like when she was just married she acted very immature. I think when she got older she grew up/

She seemed mean to Carrie sometimes also. And she never gets punished, close, but not really. She can be late, disobey, etc and not much mention of it is made. It sounds not nice of me, but I wished Nellie hadn't made it worse with the music box and she had to explain stealing it without the "You suffered enough". I never really got that, she compounded it by being mean to to Anna just to avoid being punished, but Nellie's behavior was the only one that was wrong. She took something from someone's home and broke it, she should have had to do something, come straight home from school, a few more chores for awhile, something.
But that's me, the books never would have let that go. One bad thing doesn't negate another.

The worst example was when she went after the girl she thought her newly married husband was having an affair with..and in front of her school children, beats her up like a 6 year old schoolyard brawl. She never once asked Almonzo anything, she made a fool of herself and never even offered to replace all those broken window panes. : )

I just saw the show when Andrew Garvey cheats and Nellie makes it worse, but then his parents say it's not 100% his fault but he did lie and that had to be punished, they seemed fair, whether you agreed with the punishment or not.

Yes; I think that Laura could be rather bratty as a child sometimes, and rather childish as an adult. This fact made good plots for the show but I agree she must have been punished in some way. It was not fair she wasn't.

Vanesa.