"Laura, you really shouldn't have had Mrs. Oleson do your homework for you." Mary commented as they walked to school the next morning.

"I know, but it was nice not having to study for a night. Besides she will only be doing my homework for the rest of the week. I will start doing my homework again when the swap is over." Laura said trying to excuse herself.

"That's still cheating, Laura."

"You won't tell Ma will you?"

"If you do your own homework from now on I won't."

"How about if I do my homework, but the problems I don't understand I will have Mrs. Oleson do for me."

"Alright Laura, but after this week no more cheating, okay?"

"Okay!"

----

Nellie walked into Willie's room after school.

"I brought home your work." She said throwing the books on the desk.

"Thanks Nellie." Willie smiled.

"You're not really sick Willie, are you?

"Yeah, I am!" Willie said defensively.

"No, you aren't. Normally when you are sick you throw up a whole lot, and I haven't seen you throw up at all."

"You've been at school all day, so how would you know?"

"Willie, I saw you eating this morning and sick people don't eat bread, eggs, and bacon."

Willie looked around the room to make sure Mrs. Ingalls was nowhere in sight.

"Alright, I'm not sick. I was yesterday, but I felt better today. I didn't want to go to school though because I like all the attention."

"I knew you weren't sick this morning. Wait until I tell on you!"

"No, please don't."

"Why shouldn't I? Besides, I don't even see what you think is so great about Mrs. Ingalls anyway."

"She is really not as mean as we thought she was if you give her a chance."

"How could you turn to her side? She doesn't like us. She is only taking care of you because she is afraid of what Ma will do to her if she let you stay sick."

Nellie walked out of the room. Willie wanted to cry. He really liked Mrs. Ingalls, but he didn't know how to show his sister how kind she really was.

----

Laura diligently worked on her homework while Mary was outside sewing and enjoying the warm evening. Pa had not yet come back from delivering lumber to Sleepy Eye.

"Mrs. Oleson?" Laura asked.

"Yes?" Harriet said looking up from the newspaper.

"Well, never mind."

Harriet noticed Laura was working on her homework. "Would you like me to finish that, Laura?"

"I would, but I can't. I need to do this myself."

"I don't mind."

"Alright. I guess you can finish for me. I worked on most of the problems. There are only a few I didn't get."

Laura sat at the table as Harriet worked on the homework. She had wanted to ask Mrs. Oleson something for a long time but could never seem to work up the courage to ask. Laura assumed now was the best time to ask because Mrs. Oleson could be more honest since there were only the two of them around. "Mrs. Oleson?"

"Yes?"

"Why do you allow them to act that way?"

"Let who act what way?" Mrs. Oleson asked in a confused tone.

"Nellie and Willie." She paused. "You spoil them and let them get away with so much trouble. Why?"

Surprised by Laura's remark, Harriet sat there for a moment to think of a good reason. "I suppose I let them get away with so much because I am afraid if I don't they won't like me. My mother was the same way with me as I am with them and I don't want them to have less than I did growing up. I had so many toys and clothes and I want my kids to have all of that"

"All those possessions though aren't that important. Besides isn't it more important to set boundaries and rules for your kids to follow so they can be formed into good people rather than be afraid of what they think of you?"

"Who says my kids aren't going to turn into good people?"

"I'm not saying they won't, but if they can't follow rules or learn to do tasks or homework on their own they are never going to achieve in life."

"I grew up the same way they are growing up and I turned out to be successful."

"I'm not just talking about money but about yourself. Are you really happy about the person you became?"

"Laura, we shouldn't be having this discussion. You know better than to ask adults such questions! You don't even know what you are talking about"

Harriet pretended that Laura didn't know what she was talking about. Yet in reality Laura was right, Harriet was not happy about whom she had become.

----

Nellie sat in her bedroom crying. Caroline walked in to say goodnight. She noticed Nellie crying.

"Is there something wrong Nellie?" She asked.

"Nothing you can help me with." Nellie snapped.

"Nellie, give me a chance."

"Why? So you can tell me that I am a rotten kid."

"No, so I can help you become a better kid. Besides, I don't think you are bad. I just think you weren't taught some rules that most children are taught."

"You really don't think I'm rotten?" Nellie asked.

"I really don't. Why don't you tell me what is wrong? I will give you some advice and if you don't like my advice you never have to tell me anything again. Okay?"

Nellie thought for a little while. "Okay, I will give you a chance. It's just that I try to be nice at school. I really do, but no matter how hard I try I always end up saying something mean. No one likes me because of the way I act."

"Have you tried complimenting one of your peers?"

"Compliment? No one dresses as nice as me."

"See Nellie, that's your problem. You think of yourself as better than the other students. The only difference between you and them is that you have more money than they do. Other than that you are all the same. Besides, you don't have to compliment them on appearance. You could compliment them on something that they do well."

"Yeah, but they already don't like me. If I start to act nice now they will think I am playing a joke on them."

"That's why you need to be sincere. Why don't you confront the other students and tell them that you are sorry for the way you have been treating them and that you are trying to become a better friend, but that you need their help."

"That could work Mrs. Ingalls!"

"I will have Mary and Laura help you."

"You know the reason why I am so mean to Mary and Laura is because I am jealous because they are such good people and were raised with rules. I tell them I would hate to be poor like they are, but sometimes I would rather be poor and have friends than to be rich and have no friends. Don't tell them I said that."

"I won't. Nellie, it doesn't matter if you are poor or rich. That doesn't determine if you have friends or not. What determines if you have friends or not is the way you treat others. If you really want to have friends, you have to overcome your jealousy. By overcoming your jealously you will learn to like the people you were jealous of before."

"I never thought that it was my jealously that made me so mean. Thanks for your help Mrs. Ingalls."

"Your welcome Nellie."

Nellie knew Mrs. Ingalls was right (and she knew that is was jealousy that mad her so mean), but she also knew that the advice she had just been given was way to hard to follow through with. Nellie was known as the mean, rotten, girl of the school and she wanted to stay that way. The only reason she asked for Mrs. Ingalls advice was to see if Willie was right about her really being considerate. She realized Willie was right and that Mrs. Ingalls wasn't as bad as she seemed to be.

----

Harriet woke up tired and irritable. While setting the table she realized what day it was. It was the last day of Wife Swap!