Neighborly Influence

One of my fond memories from childhood is the time I spent with Mr. Rogers. Though he was only a man on TV that I couldn't actually talk to or sit with, I distinctly remember feeling as if I was right there with him for that brief 30 minutes each day.

He was really different from all of the grownups I knew. Calm, quiet, methodical, patient. There were many days I wished he could be my real neighbor or even part of my family.
For 30 minutes, which at the age of 5 I had no concept of, I could escape whatever was happening around me. I could go on a field trip to see something I had never seen before, like how crayons were made. I could follow trolley to the land of make believe. There were anchors on that show that made me feel great because I could count on them each day. The sweater, the shoes, feeding the fish, those were all things that made me feel comforted.

I always hated it when Mr. Rogers said goodbye, but loved the way he did it.

There are so many messages that I know I got from him that I may not specifically remember.

As an adult I have seen some of the reruns and watched them with my kids. It is still one of my favorite televisions shows. I love the fact there is no dumbing down on that show. No sing-song baby talk, no gimmicks in an attempt to keep a child's attention. He didn't need gimmicks. He spoke a child's language, yet he never made you feel less than an adult because you were a child.

I never realized there were so many nasty rumors about Mr. Rogers until I started looking on the Internet to confirm dates for his birth, etc.

I guess it's just difficult for people to believe there could be a really good man who loved children. He never served in the military, wasn't violent, wasn't accused of child molestation and wasn't wearing long sleeves to hide tattoos.

He was an ordained Presbyterian minister. He studied music and attended the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Child Development.

Today Mr. Fred Rogers would have turned 83. In 1997 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award and his acceptance speech was remarkable. What a wonderful man. I wish I could have been his neighbor.