Melissa Gilbert

Melissa Gilbert: Thank God I have four sons. The mother/daughter relationship is one of mankind's great mysteries, and for womankind, it can be hellaciously complicated. My mother and I are quintessential examples of the rewards and frustrations, and the joys and infuriations it can yield.

Melissa: (about being in an airport as a child and meeting a fan) "Oh, gosh, my daughter loves you," she said. "Can I get your autograph?" I struggled to hold my sister, who was trying to wiggle out of my grasp. "I'm sorry, I can't right now," I said, wincing. "Oh, what a little brat you are," she hissed. She walked away, leaving me shattered...my first unprotected brush with my own celebrity. Later, I realized that everyone else in the airport had been able to behave in whatever way they felt like at the moment, including that woman who was so insensitive, or just oblivious, and downright mean, I had to be perfect, smiley, kind, and polite, or else I was a little brat. That's a hell of a message to give to someone who already stuffed her feelings away.

Melissa Gilbert: (about "Little House") Not a day goes by that I don't think about it and burst into tears. It's like stepping through a looking glass. There's a part of me that's always going to be Laura. I think every girl has a Laura in them.