February 19

Mr. Rogers' Neighbourhood

Mr. Rogers' Neighbourhood premiered in 1968 and is remembered to this day by many people born between 1960 and 2001. The children's program ran until 2003 on PBS networks across the country.

Mr. Rogers' is most commonly known for his opening sequence where he enters his home singing and removes his coat, puts on a cardigan and then removes his dress shoes, to put on sneakers.

Though the show broke new ground discussing topics such as war, divorce and competition, it is most remembered for Rogers' discussion of anger and how to peacefully deal with anger in children's lives.

A Way To Celebrate

Though almost all of my peers (born in the 1980s) remember Mr. Roger's many of us truly disliked the show. It was often slow-paced, and as many put it - boring. It is only after growing up and watching the show with our own children or those we are caring for, did we realize how important the lessons were that Mr. Rogers' taught us.

Anger was a big issue in the show. Mr. Rogers was adamant about teaching the new generation how to live a peaceful life. It is due to educators such as Rogers that our generation has been taught ways to deal with difficult issues in a positive way.

Take time today to note how you are dealing with anger. Are you pleased with the way you are dealing with it? If not, resolve to change and make small changes in a positive direction. A good example in us will prove to help the next generation be even better at dealing with such difficulties.