Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood
Few people have totally changed the world of tike ’s boob tube - and the amusement earthly concern and world in general - in quite the way that Fred Rogers did . From 1968 to 2001 , Rogers body forth the character of the kind - hearted host ofMister Rogers ' Neighborhood , a series aimed at pre - school day and kindergarten - age children that would , in fact , go on to touch multiplication and consultation of all ages .
animate by what he feel wasinadequate and crass entertainment for childrenat the time , Rogers take it upon himself to create a shape of telecasting for kids that would address them as equals , as special , and as capable of understanding far more than we know . Here , we ’re looking back on some of themany , many lessons we all learnedfrom Mister Rogers along the agency .
Embrace your inner child
Cynics often objurgate Rogers ' folksy ebullience and gentle way of talk . But it ’s that same inherent warmth and childly optimism that make Rogers the perfect spokesman for never being afraid to comprehend the child you once were , and in some style , always will be .
Whether through his risky venture in Make Believe , the object lesson he learns via Picture Picture , or even just in his interaction with the many small fry in his neck of the woods , Mister Rogers prompt us that it ’s more than okay to palpate the same joys and excitements associated with puerility .
Don’t talk down to children
As we ’ve already explain , Mister Rogers ' Neighborhoodwas only ever create as a result of Rogers ' belief that idiot box was , in scant , failing the shaver it was trying to harbour .
It became his missionary work , then , to ensure that tyke would never be look down upon within his serial publication , or spoken down to as though they were incompetent of understanding . Every kid that Rogers interacted with was the center of his aid , allowed to pick up and ask and try and fail and bring home the bacon just as any adult would be .
Don’t be afraid to feel things
Mister Rogers ' Neighborhoodmade it copiously clear that not only are there healthy ways for children to allot with difficult emotion they may not translate , but furthermore that you should never be afraid or ashamed of feeling them .
One peculiarly memorable call , " What Do You Do with the Mad That You sense ? , " imparts these genial words of wisdom : " I can check when I want to . Can kibosh when I wish . Can halt , stop , stop anytime . And what a good notion to feel like this . And know that the feeling is really mine . Know that there ’s something deep inside , that helps us become what we can . For a girl can be someday a cleaning lady , and a boy can be someday a world . " These lyric were so herculean , in fact , that they were the words that win over the Senate to continue funding for public broadcasting .
To love is a choice, a process, and a struggle
In the same neighborhood of deal with hard and knockout to explicate emotions , Mister Rogers was also untroubled of dealing with feelings that are often have a bun in the oven and have for granted , such as love . Many of Rogers ' messages concerned themselves not only with ego - acceptation , but also with the acceptance of others .
It makes sense , then , that even the very thought of sexual love is one thatMister Rogers feltwas rooted within the idea of dedication , growth , and change : " Love is n’t a state of pure lovingness . It is an active noun like struggle . To bang someone is to endeavor to take that mortal exactly the way he or she is , right here and now . "
Be a good neighbor
The very title of the serial publication , Mister Rogers ' Neighborhood , invokes feelings of warmth and tightness from the very start . Mister Rogers greets everyone whom he meets as a neighbor , as a champion , and as someone upon whom he clearly bestow kindness and compassion .
Every installment begins with Mister Rogers telling us how long he has wanted to have a neighbour just like us , putting us in the position of someone who is cared for , and someone open of sharing forgivingness among our own neighborhood . Needless to say , nobody will forget his theme Sung dynasty , " I have always wanted to have a neighbor just like you . I ’ve always need to live in a neighborhood with you . So let ’s make the most of this beautiful twenty-four hour period . Since we ’re together , we might as well say . Would you be mine ? Could you be mine ? Wo n’t you be my neighbour ? "
Look for the helpers
As we ’ve already search , Mister Rogers was always greatly implicated with children’swell - being and genial health . But that care extend far beyond just dealing with everyday emotion , and turned toward explorations of feelings in times of crisis .
Rogers reflectedon his own puerility to avail us empathise action these difficult feeling : " My mother used to say , a long time ago , whenever there would be any really cataclysm that was in the pic , or on the air , she would say : ' Always look for the help . There will always be helper . ' … Because if you look for the helpers , you ’ll know that there ’s promise . "
Accept and love everyone, no matter their differences
Mister Rogers ' Neighborhoodwas always a berth of acceptance , understanding , and multifariousness . But no moment perfectly encapsulated the serial ' love of all human beings in the way that a scene between Mister Rogers and Officer Clemmons did .
As a beacon light for racial equality in 1969 , and though unbeknownst to the populace at the time LGBTQ equation , Mister Rogers once invited Officer Clemmons , the serial ' African - American law officer , to sit with him and wash his feet off in the same puddle . The scene would be recreated years afterward during a conversation on the nature of love , with Francois Clemmons ' gender now more public knowledge as well .
Always remember those who loved you into being
There is one minute in Rogers ' public career that has touched the world so deep that it has been prominently featured in both the 2018 documentaryWon’t You Be My Neighbor?and the 2019 filmA Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood . In his speech upon his elicitation into the Television Hall of Fame , Rogers urged the audience to do one simple thing .
" countenance ’s just take ten seconds to intend of some of those people who have have intercourse us , and wanted what was best for us in life . Those who have promote us to become who we are tonight . Just ten second of silence,“Rogers requested , making for a deeply moving , totally silent ten mo of television . " No matter where they are , either here or in heaven , imagine how pleased those people must be to know that you thought of them right now . "
Be you, because no one else can be
People of all ages find themselves make do with negative tactual sensation and insecurities about who they are , whether on the vacation spot or in the adult reality . But Mister Rogers was always attached to making sure people know that they were who they were meant to be . In one Song dynasty , " I Like You As You Are , " Rogers explain , " I wish you as you are . I would n’t want to modify you , or even rearrange you . Not by far . "
Another memorable birdcall , " It ’s You I Like , " rightfully speaks for itself : " It ’s you I like . It ’s not the thing you break . It ’s not the way of life you do your hairsbreadth / … / But it ’s you I wish . Every part of you . Your pelt , your eyes , your feelings . Whether old or new , I desire that you remember , even when you ’re feeling blue , that it ’s you I like . It ’s you yourself , it ’s you . It ’s you I like . "
Be kind, be kind, and be kind
peculiarly in this day and age , when cynicism is on the rise , it would be easy to give into jaded feelings and misgivings about the human race and the the great unwashed we interact with . But according to Mister Rogers , that could n’t be further from the accuracy when it fall to what we involve to do to deliver the goods as humans .
As Rogers explained , " There are three ways to ultimate success : The first direction is to be kind . The second way is to be tolerant . The third way is to be genial . " That may perhaps be his greatest lesson of all .
NEXT : A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood : 10 Things Tom Hanks Learned By make for Mr. Rogers
