It seems like everybody’s got an opinion these days. Family members (dare I say inlaws) are often more privy to giving you the advice you never asked for and the tough love that borders insult sometimes. “Little House on the Prairie” star Melissa Gilbert recently took to Instagram to share an inside look at one of her most “opinionated” family members. It’s not what you think. She’s actually referencing her infant grandbaby and the snaps are too precious not to share.
Melissa Gilbert is Enjoying the “Nana” Life
Just ten weeks ago, Melissa Gilbert shared the face of little Ripley Lou Brinkman, who officially made her a grandmother. Since then, there’s been plenty of “nana” content to cherish. Their latest post together involves the little bundle of joy in good spirits. She rocks an adorable onesie adorned with zoo animals like lions as she practices her debate skills. Nana Gilbert captions the video with “my very opinionated granddaughter.” She also lets it be known that the video is actually a repost from her daughter-in-law. Some may say she goes a little overboard with all of the captions attached to the video, but who are we to dull a grandmother’s love? They include: #nanapint #granddaughter #family #love #happiness
You can catch their enticing conversation here:
Reflecting On Her Own Childhood
Although little Ripley Lou appears to be all sunshine and butterflies, her nana lived a much different life. Actually, Gilbert says she used her Laura Ingalls Wilder character to escape some of her reality. This is because things at home were difficult. She does a deep dive into her relationship with her mother in her Prairie Tale memoir. Essentially, though, she remembers her mother as very controlling.
“My mother was at the helm of everything, including my career, my food intake, and how I dressed–my whole life,” she details. “I never questioned her or rebelled. Speaking out against the family was the ultimate form of disloyalty, and disloyalty was not tolerated.”
Sadly, she also says that most interviews from the height of her fame centered around falsehoods. In fact, Gilbert regularly told the media that things at home were “peachy” in order to stave off any conflict.
“So in an interview back when I was ten years old, I’d likely have said that everything was wonderful, everyone in my life was fantastic, I was happy, and life was perfect,” she explains. “But most of that was untrue.”
The “Little House on the Prairie” set and cast offered her relief:
“For me, work was a fantasy where I was a happy-go-lucky kid with a larger-than-life surrogate father, Michael Landon,” she writes. “There were people I could talk to and count on, and horses and cows and other animals I could play with in an idyllic outdoor setting.”
