Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood

Today I put on my son's favorite show,  Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood.   For those who don't know, it's basically a follow-up to the extremely popular Mister Rogers' Neighborhood that features characters created by Fred Rogers. 

Growing up,  I watched Mister Rogers' Neighborhood all the time.  I know I wanted to be his neighbor, you probably did too.  I have very fond memories of trolley's bell ringing, Mr. McFeely delivering mail, and Mister Rogers' putting on his signature cardigan sweater and sneakers.  It really was "such a good feeling to know you[were] alive" when watching the show.  I grew up with a mentally-ill father who was not always emotionally available to me so my childhood memories consist of several specific moments, one of which is sitting in my neighbor Flossie's house watching Mister Rogers' Neighborhood when visiting my family in New Jersey (we moved when I was seven) while she cooked in the kitchen.

Sometimes I'm reminded of those memories when watching Daniel Tiger with my kids.  Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood stars the children of the characters from the original Land of Make-Believe, shown in Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.  It's very cute, animated, and features a song about whatever topic that's being covered in the two fifteen minute segments.  Unlike a lot of shows, the theme for the day is carried through both segments and the song learned in the first one is used in the second segment.  For example, today Daniel Tiger felt left out because his friends live in the same tree so they play together all the time without him.  The song about being sad and feeling better soon was used in the second half of the show when the class duckling was given to a farm to continue growing.  There's something very special about having your children enjoy something that holds sentimental value for you.  Hearing my two-year-old sing and dance along to the theme song and watching my one-year-old bob his head to it nearly brought tears to my eyes.  How amazing it must be to make such a difference in the lives of children, even after you are gone.  I hope someday I can have half the positive effect on people that Fred Rogers had.