"Ding! Ding!" I remember feeling so excited when I heard that sound. It was a sign that one of my favorite T.V. shows was on, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. Trolley, a railroad car that was the source of the noise, rolled along the track. I couldn't have been more than 3 years old at the time. Yet, I remember feeling fascinated as I sat on my parents' couch in my Barney footie pajamas watching Trolley roll down the track.
Mr. Rogers, a Protestant minister, started his show, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, to help children navigate their emotions as they go through life. His show featured episodes that helped to explain culture and current events in a way a child could understand them. To help explain his message, Mr. Rogers used guest stars, songs, and the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. The Neighborhood of Make-Believe was a neighborhood where puppets ruled and grown-ups were scarce. A child could travel to the Neighborhood of Make-Believe by watching Trolley roll down the track.
Mr. Rogers's guest stars were deliberately unconventional for 20th century television. In a time where war was raging and the Civil Rights Movement was at its peak, Mr. Rogers invited a disabled child and African American (who played a police officer) to join his show. He treated them with compassion, showing the world that they were people just like everyone else.
Like Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, Sesame Street taught children lessons on how to focus their attention so that they might control their feelings and perform a task. While this exercise may seem simple, performing a task and controlling their feelings can be hard for some children. For example, in order to recite the alphabet children have to tune out distractions that are a result of the environment they are in (such as a car horn honking outside). Children also have to be careful of their own distracting thoughts. If a child is thinking about ice cream, their mind is not focused on reciting the alphabet. As a result, they may not recite it correctly.
Another similarity between Mr. Roger's Neighborhood and Sesame Street is that both shows have taught generations of children lessons about kindness. As an adult, I sometimes find myself rejecting the lessons I learned from my favorite childhood characters. Preserving my pride and acting stubborn somehow become more important than being kind. This bitterness fades away every time I encounter a child. Their innocence reminds me that there are more important things in life than preserving my own self-image.
It is important that now more than ever people treat each other with kindness. The head of the United States, President Trump, has continuously berated those who are different than him. While it may be natural to recognize someone as different than you, it doesn't excuse rude behavior. Immigrants. The LBGTQ+ community. Those with disabilities. No matter who they are or how different they are from you, they are all people. People with lives and feelings.
What if we all followed the lessons of Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street? I can only hope, as a citizen of the United States and as a human being, that my children can grow up in a place where they feel accepted and loved. A place that rewards kindness over hate and asks people, "Won't you be my neighbor?"
