Mister Rogers is one the most important influences in my life. More than any sports star, politician, war hero, or even musician, Mister Rogers helped me understand my life, my goals, and my life’s work, and my purpose.
As a child, I watched his televisions show, as a young adult I read his books, and last Friday me and Diana watched Won’t You Be My Neighbor a beautiful documentary about this our favorite neighbor.
This film dives deep into the life of Fred Rogers, his work. It provides insights into the man behind the television show. It adds dimension to this man, through revealing his frustrations, and his self-doubt. These “flaws,” don’t actually make him less admirable, rather they make him more relatable and more real.
People had a hard time, and probably still have a hard time accepting that a man could dedicate his life to children, and truly be kind. Some assumed that Rogers was homosexual or had some dark past, but neither was true (in my mind being gay wouldn’t have made him less than, but for many it would have). Rogers showed that a man could be nurturing, caring, insightful, thoughtful, and enjoy chit-chatting. By being himself, he gained the respect of the most important people in the world, our children. This is a model that has given me the strength be dedicate my life to work with children, be proud about being a father, and work to be the kind of man Rogers was, as opposed to the emotionally cut-off “tough guy” so many of his generation worked towards.
Mister Rogers is one of the greatest examples of a Christian in my life. He never mentioned God on his show or preached the Bible. His acceptance of you, his love for you wasn’t conditional on your faith tradition. He focused on spreading the themes of love, giving and kindness, which he felt were central to his Christian faith. Rogers probably wasn’t very successful at converting people to Christianity. But he was incredibly successful at was spreading the most important themes of his religion, and make our world a better place through giving, inclusion and love. By focusing on these themes and not using the word of God, or the stories of Jesus, he was able to be as universal as the message he shared.
Rogers made parenting radically simple. Listen to your children, validate their feelings, and let them know they are loved and can create love by simply being themselves. These ideas are still radical to many, and are difficult to practice. During time-sensitive transitions, it’s hard to find time to listen. In the middle of feelings of frustration when a child is screaming at you, it’s difficult to find the true emotion amongst the heat. Saying the words “I love you,” is just a start. Showing love in a way that children understand, and nurturing their own belief in the power of their own love is a lifelong work of a parent that doesn’t ever end.
One of the questions that this film tries to address is what would Rogers being doing if he was alive right now? I think he’d still be at it, listening to one child at time, taking the time to talk about feelings reminding us that we are special just by being ourselves. But he’s not around any more, so I’ll do the best I can to continue his work. It’s not a job that will ever be done, but working with children, and being a parent is the most important work I can do. It's the most important work we can do.
Sitting with my son today watching Mister Rogers explain what it meant to be brave, I was once again reminded how much I have to learn, and how beautiful this journey of growth could be with with neighbor like Mister Rogers to hold my hand.
No comments:
Post a Comment