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In "Be My Friend" Charles threatens to give Laura a whipping. The first time I watched this episode I was blown away in shock. It seemed very out-of-step with the rest of the show. That was the only episode that Charles even mentions spanking his kids, but in this episode it was just like he had been doing it all along. Other times when he wants to punish them he just makes them do extra chores. What was different about this time?

What season is that from? I don't recall the episode...


Ed

I don't recall the exact season, but it was one of the early ones. Laura and Mary were still very much kids. This episode is shown very rarely. I thought I had seen all the episodes, but one night real late I saw Little House coming on, and it was this episode. It is a RARE episode and a little weird. It just seemed to be out of character for the Ingalls family for Charles to say he was going to give Laura a whipping. If it had been this way all along it would have been fine.

Well, I've been watching the shows on DVD (just completed my set with amazon.com's new sale where each season is $25.99) and I've just got done with Season 3 and I know it isn't in that season where he says that. I haven't seen the other seasons yet (I'm watching them out of order since amazon sent them to me in separate shipments; in fact I'm still waiting for Seasons 5-7 and the 3 movie sets that aired after the series cancellation) so it may be Season 1 or 2 that he says that, especially since you state it's an earlier season. I'll keep you posted whenever I get around to watching them. It'll take a while...


Ed

What season is that from? I don't recall the episode...


Ed


"Be My Friend" is from season 4.

Here is the scene word for word:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0632976/quotes

This episode ran 90 minutes, one reason it is shown in syndication mostly when it is a marathon of some sort. Or it fits the networks' schedule somehow. I have seen it many a time. I am pretty sure they have even shown it regularly as two-part episode, however, scenes that were normally edited out, were inserted or they add a lot of commercials to make it work as a two-parter.

As for Charles making a "whipping" statement out of the blue like that, I would think after the turmoil and drama Laura put the family through when she ran away after her little brother died, she put the fear in her family AGAIN, by being out so late. If you read the scene above, Charles even says it has "been a long while" since he gave Laura a whipping. One reason why she was such a behaved child, she remembered the last whipping. :lol:

I have been worried to the point where I nearly lost it and got ready to let one of my daughters have it, but good, for staying out late and causing me such a scare. And I too am a parent who doesn't physically punish my children. My son is the exception. :lol:

^ What Irene said. I couldn't have said it better. :clap

^ What Irene said. I couldn't have said it better. :clap
Thank you my lady!;)

in the 1800s whipping children was a fairly common thing, the prefered ( and considered proper/lawful ) method was a hickory stick "The size of a man's thumb" ( diameter ).....The natives didn't approve ; while the whites called them "uncivilised" for letting "their children run loose, without discipline" , they felt it was the whites who were wrong, in beating their children. Natives never laid a hand on their children, prefering to treat them with kindness and love. ( Just a little history on child rearing in the 1800s )

^ Many of those rearing children back in those days took these words from the Bible to heart - "Spare the rod, spoil the child."