Mr. Rogers Visits Our Neighborhood

Mr. Rogers Visits Our Neighborhood

 

Before I returned to the US in November, we had had some problems with several children who don't know how to handle their anger.  The song had come into my mind, "What do you do with the mad that you feel?"  This is a song that Mr. Rogers wrote and sang on his PBS program watched by my children when they were young.  I went out to Amazon and ordered a songbook and a 2 episode DVD of the program in which he deals with anger.

 

Last week, thanks to electricity in the school, and Kimberly's tech assistance, we watched the programs.  For the first time children saw someone swimming using proper strokes, fish in a fish tank, a kid doing a "poppa wheelie" in a wheelchair, a slide whistle, a mechanical train that goes on a track, and probably other things that I'm not even aware of.

 

I didn't know when I ordered it that in the second episode Mr. Rogers visits the performing group "Stomp."  They used hands and feet, buckets, brooms, pipes and drums to make musical beats and songs.  I expect to see our kids trying some of those things!

 

The message that came across to both the children and the teachers was that each person has things they can do when they feel angry so they don't hurt themselves or other people.  Whether it's a sport, art, talking about it, and most of all praying, we can have things we do when we are angry.

 

As I watched the programs, I was struck again by the genius of Mr. Rogers in his creative love for children, his music, and his loving way.  If he was still alive I would have wanted to write him and say that he has touched children in Africa, and we are grateful.