This newsletter is going out on Friday the 13th, a date that somehow became known as an “unlucky” day. But in our Neighborhood, every Friday the 13th was a “lucky” day…a “happy” day…because it was the day we celebrated the birthday of the puppet King Friday XIII! Fred always focused on the positives, and it was important to him to counter the negative...
Read MoreThere’s one word that keeps coming up when people talk about Fred these days – KINDNESS. Maybe because we’re all hungry for more of it in today’s world -- and hopeful for it in tomorrow’s world. We want children to grow up to be kind -- to be considerate, respectful, neighborly. Those behaviors are connected to the social skills that we,...
Read MoreI wonder if you’ve seen the quote that’s going around these days, “Fred Rogers was the greatest teacher of all time…and he did it all virtually.” Well, it is a beautiful tribute to Fred, but I’d like to add a bit more caution and context to it. What Fred was doing for a half-hour television program is very different from what...
Read MoreIn difficult times, we always heard from early childhood professionals and parents who appreciated the way Fred helped them talk with young children about their feelings and concerns. So when I heard about the August 17 premiere of a special episode of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, produced by Fred Rogers Productions in response to COVID-19, I wanted to give you a sneak peek...
Read MoreThis summer I found another message in Fred’s work that can help us in these challenging times. It’s a phrase in one of the stories Fred told about his grandfather: …Every time I was with him, he’d show me something about the world or something about myself that I hadn’t even thought of yet. He’d help me find something wonderful in...
Read MoreI remember Fred saying, “I can only BEGIN to imagine what you’re going through,” when he heard from somebody about the challenges they were facing. And here I am writing a newsletter, just barely beginning to imagine what you are dealing with in these extraordinary times. With that in mind, I wanted to offer you something for whatever situation you’re...
Read MoreWith all the discussions these days about children and their education, I decided to devote this newsletter to one of Fred’s central messages that you might want to share with the families of the children you serve. It’s a message that can help us feel good about simple, everyday moments -- moments at home (or at school) when children are just...
Read MoreIn these challenging times, there’s a Fred quote that’s been helping me, and I wanted to pass it along to you -- “When the strong winds blow, we may bend but we won’t break.” It seems we’re all trying to find things that help us bend and not break. People these days are also turning to Fred's quote -- “Look for the helpers.” In...
Read MoreI’ve always felt good about calling this newsletter “What we can continue to learn from Fred Rogers.“ And it’s been especially heartwarming to hear from so many of our readers that you, too, appreciate learning from the way Fred approached children, families, the world around us, and life in general. I was thinking of that because March 20th would have been Fred’s...
Read MoreThere was a story that Fred loved to tell about a carpenter asking a potential apprentice if he ever made a mistake. “No, sir!” he said, sure that would help him get the job. But the carpenter answered, “Then there’s no way I’m going to hire you -- because when you make a mistake, you won’t know how to fix...
Read More