The Caroline Theory

When I was a little girl, I loved loved loved Little House on the Prairie.  I loved Laura so much and couldn't wait to grow up and find my Almanzo.  I wanted to be like Laura Ingalls Wilder.
So, I've been watching Little House again and found myself idolizing someone completely different.
Caroline.
Caroline Ingalls is the woman that I wish I could be.  Here's why.

1.  Caroline Ingalls was a good wife.  And I mean a REALLY good wife.  She loved her husband.  She supported him.  She was kind to him.  She took care of him.  She rarely complained about him or about him moving them to the middle of nowhere land.  She was his help meet.  She didn't gripe or moan or fight with him.  At times, she got angry at him, but then she would quickly find a solution and kiss Charles and apologize and say things like "I should know that spending time being angry with you is just time that I've wasted."

2.  She was a good mother.  She tried so hard to teach her girls to be good, strong, industrious, kind and God fearing women. She seemed to never run out of patience with them, even Laura.  She accepted each of them for what they were.  She tried to never speak unkindly to them or be stern with them.  She spent her time with them teaching, laughing, working, playing and living.

3.  Caroline Ingalls loved God.  She was always telling Charles to straighten up and making sure that the girls went to church and read the Bible and tried to be Christlike.  She always said her prayers and read the Bible before bed.  She even went to church when people were rude to her or when her husband fell out of a tree and people judged her.  And even better, she went home and taught her family every day to love God as well.

4.  Caroline Ingalls didn't put up with any crap from anybody.  Ever.  She was one of the few people that could put Mrs. Olsen and her ringleted, snooty, bully of a daughter Nelly in their place.  And quickly.  And kindly.  She stood up for her girls and for her husband and didn't think twice about it.  She protected her family and her way of life...but in the nicest, most kind way possible.

5.  She was as ladylike as they come.  Even when she was plowing fields, building houses, moving her family across the country, fighting fires, birthing animals, putting up with Laura, teaching school, cooking, raising kids, chasing Jack the sheepdog, giving cornbread to Indians, etc....Caroline Ingalls was the picture of being ladylike.  She was never ruffled, never unkind, never without manners and always on her game.  It didn't matter what the situation was, Caroline handled it with all the grace and ease in the world, even if she was falling apart and terrified inside.

And might I add, Caroline was giving, thoughtful, hard working and stalwart.
Now, I understand that Caroline Ingalls the way that I see her is kind of fictional....the story is true, but much has been left to the imagination.  But, don't you think we could all try to get a little more in touch with our inner Caroline?  I know that I certainly could...I could try harder to be supportive and kind and gentle.  Wouldn't our world be a little better if we tried a little harder?
Well, I'm going to test the Caroline Theory....I'm making a commitment to be some of those things listed above and I'll see if I can change my world for the better.