My husband’s kids didn’t like me. They never did. But my husband, Jack, stood by me when they crossed the line. His actions taught them a big lesson, leading to apologies and a chance to mend our relationships.
Jack had three kids from his first marriage when we met. Their mom had passed away years before I came into the picture. When Jack introduced me to them, it was clear they weren’t thrilled about it. Understandable, given the age gap between Jack and me.
I’m ten years older than Jack, and we’ve been together for over nine years, engaged for four. His kids, all over 21, never warmed up to me. Even though I never tried to replace their mom, they made me feel unwelcome whenever we were together.
I only moved in after they had left for college. Yet, they continued to act like I didn’t belong. When Jack proposed, they got even colder, disrespecting me behind his back. I kept quiet to avoid conflict, knowing Jack had already faced enough challenges as a single dad.
Jack worked hard to provide for his kids, even after they moved out. He wanted to make up for their mom’s absence. We finally had a small civil wedding, which his kids didn’t attend. They claimed they had other plans. We shrugged it off and focused on our honeymoon in the Bahamas.
But just two days into our trip, his kids showed up uninvited. They mocked me, belittled our relationship, and ruined our special time. When Jack found out, he unleashed his fury, kicking them out and cutting off their financial support.
It was tough love, but it worked. His kids realized their mistake and apologized. Jack forgave them, and we started anew, building a stronger bond than before. His actions during our honeymoon not only protected our happiness but also taught his kids important lessons about respect and responsibility. In the end, our family emerged stronger, thanks to Jack’s tough but necessary decisions.
Melissa Sue Anderson, star of ‘Little House on the Prairie,’ speaks of her decision to leave Hollywood for Canada
How many times has it happened that you think of an old show you used to love watching and wonder what the actors are doing after so many years? I guess many of you that have seen “Little House on the Prairie” and were eager to see each new adventure of the family living on the farm in Plum Creek near Walnut Grove, Minnesota, would love to know what the actors are up to these days.
Those fans who were fond of the actress playing Mary Ingalls, beautiful Melissa Sue Anderson, were convinced she would continue being part of their life through the small screens, but she had other plans.
Today, she speaks of her decision to leave Hollywood behind and move to Canada.
This actress started her acting career playing guest roles, and had her way into the showbiz when she became one of the central figures of “Little House on the Prairie.” Her acting brought her several nominations for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and her fans knew she deserved it.
Speaking of her experience filming this drama that made her famous, back in 2010, Anderson told Pop Entertainment, “I’m lucky that there even was a character to play, because in the book, there isn’t much of one. Laura [Ingalls, author of the Little House novels upon which the series was based and the story was centered] was a quite older woman when she wrote the books. She was remembering the best of her life. The characters of Ma and Mary didn’t factor in a lot. There was a lot of Laura and Pa and Laura and Jack the dog and Laura and Mr. Edwards, but there wasn’t a lot of Mary. I’m fortunate that they discovered that I could act.”
She tried herself in other minor roles after Mary Ingalls, but then in 1990 she got married to television producer Michael Sloan and moved to Montreal in 2002 with her husband and their two children, daughter Piper and son Griffin.
In 2007, the family became Canadian citizens and with the new life came new commitments, so Anderson decided to let go of the showbiz because she wanted to spend more time with her kids and didn’t want them to feel pressured to pursue acting careers themselves.
In an interview with E-Talk, Anderson said, “I really stepped away for a long time. That was really for the kids so they would have their own sense of who they were as opposed to being with me.”
However, Anderson didn’t step back from acting completely, but took small roles over the recent years. Her life-changing experience of being part in a series like “Little House on the Prairie” encouraged her to write a memoir titled The Way I See It: A Look Back at My Life on Little House.
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