Feeling a little sad today over the passing of Fred Rogers, who has always provided such a calm and gentle voice in the midst of the hubbub that is children's television. My kids have mostly outgrown his show -- although I've seen my son linger on it now and then as he changes the channels around -- but they were both sad when I said he had died, and asked questions about what happened to him and whether he would still be on TV. If you have a little one who'll be shaken up by this death in the neighborhood, there are some nice resources at www.misterrogers.org, including a tribute with information on where children can send letters and drawings to the Rogers family, and helpful hints for parents on discussing the loss with your child. Kids and parents can also e-mail the show and family from the PBS Kids site.
One of the best things Mister Rogers did for my family was write books on issues of import to kids, most notably, for us, adoption and potty training. Heavy on photos and straightforward with words, these books were just right for starting a dialog with my language impaired kiddos. The misterrogers.org site offers information and inspiration for parents on a variety of topics, from adoption to stepfamilies, disabilities to discipline, birth to, well, death. Even though he's gone on to a whole new neighborhood, Mister Rogers is still taking good care of us.
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