Mister Rogers

It is very easy to bring a bad day home from work and allow frustrations to carry over. But what do you do when you get mad?

Today I was getting frustrated with work, I had to pass up a great concert and 2nd row seats.  My wife was on call, so that meant that I was going to have to go home and prepare dinner and all I could think about, was how frustrated that I was with work. I wanted to be mad. I wanted to have some downtime to clear my head. And then I came across this video clip about Mister Rodgers getting mad.

And Mister Rogers is right. Everyone makes a mistake and it is ok to be mad, but it isn’t ok to take it out on your kids. They didn’t do anything. And even if they did, it still doesn’t warrant taking your frustrations out on them.

We need more life lessons like this from Mister Rogers and less from the reality tv shows.

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“Imagine what our real neighborhoods would be like, if each of us offered as a matter of course, just one kind word to another person…
One kind word has a wonderful way of
turning into many.” – Fred Rogers

Today would have been Mister Rogers’ 85th birthday, and true to Mister Rogers legacy, today is Won’t You Be My Neighbor Day.  Could you imagine neighbors helping others, just as a random act of kindness?  Could you imagine how our society would change, if more stopped and helped others?  Please take a moment to read more about Won’t You Be My Neighbor Day on Mister Rogers’ website: http://www.fci.org/neighbor/ and you view the Caring Checklist here and also see below the ideas to be a better neighbor:

  • Smile
  • Plant a tree
  • Say “Thank You”
  • Sort and recycle glass, newspapers, plastic and cardboard
  • Give the gift of laughter: clip cartoons, share funny stories
  • Offer to take the shopping cart back for someone loading his or her car
  • Shop with reusable bags
  • Make a donation to your favorite non-profit – You can donate to the Mister Rogers Company.
  • Save throw-aways (egg cartons, ribbons, etc.) for art projects
  • Share a hug
  • Be a good friend by just listening
  • Reuse cardboard boxes to store toys and supplies
  • Volunteer at a senior center
  • Pay someone a compliment
  • Visit your local library for story time, crafts, songs and games
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Growing up as a child, I remember watching Mister Rogers on PBS. And I always felt as though he was talking to just me. He had such a calming effect and the life lessons that I learned then, still apply today.

I remember this one episode in particular, because it was the first time that I had ever seen a child in a wheelchair. And the thing that I took away from it, was that Jeffery was no different than anyone else. He was special just the way that he was. He would not be able to do the same things that other children could, but that he was still a good kid.

And then while do some searches on Youtube for Mister Rogers, I came across this video of Mister Rogers and Jeff being reunited. Please take a moment and watch this video.

I hate that my boys will not grow up watching Mister Rogers as I did as a child.  But I hope that I can share with them and teach them some of the important life lessons that he taught me and the rest of his neighbors. Take a minute to visit his website and see how the legacy of Mister Rogers lives on today.

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