Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

Recently when I re-looked at an old blog post I did about TV shows not being what they used to be, I was stunned that one of the shows I accidentally omitted was Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, one of my favorite shows from my childhood.  I watched the show constantly as a child, but never fully understood it because I was too young to comprehend the issues being talked about like divorce or death.  As I got older, my interests gradually shifted, and I liked different things, but I always kept the show in the back of my mind.  When Fred Rogers passed away back in 2003, I was sad, but I was only 12 at the time, so I still didn't understand everything.  Now that I'm older, and have had time to look back on the show though, I think Fred Rogers and his show were absolutely wonderful.

From a modern or outsider's perspective, if you've never seen Mister Rogers' Neighborhood before, you might be wondering what made it so appealing, but the better question is, what wasn't appealing about it?  The show was about a gentle, kind human being who just wanted to teach/help children by giving them a safe environment they could come to, whether it was bringing them to his home, talking to them, taking them to the Neighborhood Of Make Believe, or singing; he never changed.

 Mister Rogers singing "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" over the years.  He may of aged, but his message never did

The true delight of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood for me was learning that Fred Rogers was just as nice on TV as he was in real life, helping children, giving back to the community, etc.  Mister Rogers' being himself is so inspiring because it shows how much of a true human being he was.  He didn't have to act that way, but he wanted to, and I think that's wonderful because it's something that gets lost in this world sometimes.  Children often don't get enough attention or are taken advantage of by adults, which is so disheartening, but I'm glad that there was a Mister Rogers' in the world who was there for children when others weren't.  Him and his show were really amazing.

Like I said earlier, Fred Rogers died in 2003, which is something I didn't really understand, but now that I've watched old clips, and gone back in time, I understand everything and have cried thinking about the way TV and people used to be.  Fred Rogers and his neighborhood may be gone, but he'll always be there like he's always been.  Parents have been passing the show onto their children for years, and I think that trend will continue for the many years to come.

Mister Rogers singing "It's Such A Good Feeling"