Growing up, I was enamored with the Little House series, devouring each book countless times (except for Farmer Boy—who really cares about Almanzo?). I watched the television adaptation religiously and often played Little House with my sister, though my role as Mary wasn’t as enjoyable once she left for a different town. The essence of Little House was a significant part of my childhood experience.
Recently, I revisited the entire series over the winter and followed it up with Pioneer Girl, the annotated memoir of Laura Ingalls Wilder. The stories were just as captivating as I remembered, filled with the adventures of characters traversing the Western frontier during pioneer days.
One chilly night, while reading The Long Winter, I had to go down to the basement to switch my laundry. As I stood there holding cold, damp clothes in the even chillier air, I caught myself sighing in frustration. Suddenly, it hit me—“Ma Ingalls would think I’m a nuisance right now.”
Since that realization, I’ve been accompanied by my own Inner Ma, who reminds me of my first-world problems when I start to complain. Here are a few recent encounters with Inner Ma:
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Me: Ugh, we’re out of salted butter—I’ll have to settle for unsalted on my toast.
Inner Ma: Back when we moved from Wisconsin to Kansas, we had no butter until Charles traded for a cow, and even that cow was a challenge to milk! -
Me: Another snow day! This is the worst!
Inner Ma: We once endured blizzards that left us without supplies, and our entire town nearly starved! -
Me: My son’s glasses are so scratched; I need to get him new ones, but I don’t want to go to that Lenscrafters.
Inner Ma: My daughter lost her sight, and we had to send her away to Iowa for her education, not seeing her for nearly a year at a time. -
Me: My husband has another business trip. I just wish he was home more.
Inner Ma: I was moved thousands of miles away from my family more than once, and I had to churn my own butter. -
Me: This bra is making me sweaty!
Inner Ma: I had to wear corsets beneath long dresses that covered me from neck to ankle. -
Me: Why is this app update taking so long?
Inner Ma: We were grateful for any old magazines that made their way to us from Back East. -
Me: The deer keep munching on my rosebushes!
Inner Ma: During our time in Minnesota, we faced a grasshopper plague that destroyed all our crops, leaving us with nothing. -
Me: Ugh, those porta-potties at the park are disgusting.
Inner Ma: Our outhouse was hardly any better, especially when the wind blew the wrong way. -
Me: What is that noise? Are the cats fighting?
Inner Ma: Is that a bear trying to attack our livestock? -
Me: Great, the kids have a dentist appointment, which means I’ll miss the gym.
Inner Ma: We didn’t have dentists on the prairie, and for exercise, I churned butter.
While I wish I could say that my Inner Ma is making me less of a nuisance, I still find myself complaining about app updates and uncomfortable clothing. At least now, I have the awareness to feel silly about it. Despite my affection for Little House, I wouldn’t want to live that pioneer life—churning butter is a daunting task I’d rather avoid. Yet, checking in with Ma and the rest of the Little House family provides me with valuable perspective when life gets overwhelming. Being a mom in the 21st century has its challenges, but at least we have indoor plumbing and the biggest wildlife we encounter are squirrels, not bears.
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In summary, reflecting on the challenges faced by pioneers helps me appreciate modern-day inconveniences. Even though my Inner Ma often reminds me of the hardships of the past, it’s a helpful way to gain perspective on the everyday struggles of motherhood today.