“Love is the root of everything: all learning, all parenting, all relationships. Love or the lack of it.” These are the wise and seemingly prescient words of Fred Rogers, the educational programming pioneer and host of public television’s,
Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. In a zip-up cardigan and sneakers, he became surrogate father to children through turbulent times. Many of us remember his gentle voice, puppets, and inspirational songs, but do we really remember what he so patiently edified? How, during times of segregation, he offered to share his backyard pool with the neighborhood’s local policeman, who happened to be black? When he explained not only the meaning of the word “assassination” in the wake of Robert F. Kennedy’s death, but also how to deal with grief? Speaking to children as equals on any topic in an open and unruffled manner, he was one of a kind. One can’t help wonder if our dose of daily violence might be decreased if Fred Rogers was still around liking us all, “just the way we are.”
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