25 Jan Susan’s Sound Advice #802
This may sound strange, but Mr. Rogers had a huge effect on me. Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood was a show my young sons used to watch, and one day, as he was ending the show and putting his shoes on, I heard him say, “Remember, I like you just the way you are”. My oldest son had just been picked on by some kids down the block, and those words came at the perfect time. I could see his eyes widen and a smile appear. He turned to me and said, “Mommy, Mr. Rogers says he likes me just the way I am!”. Another example of his positive energy and message came a while later, when I was pregnant and close to giving birth to my third son. I was’t looking forward to another painful labor, and just at that moment Mr. Rogers sang a song called “Be Brave and Then Be Strong”. Sounds crazy, but that song stuck in my mind and during my labor, I sang it to myself! In this day and age of negative messages and reality tv, I want to say a huge thank you to Mr. Rogers for being a gift to so many of us, young and old alike!
It’s you I like,
It’s not the things you wear,
It’s not the way you do your hair–
But it’s you I like.
The way you are right now,
The way down deep inside you–
Not the things that hide you,
Not your toys–
They’re just beside you.
But it’s you I like–
Every part of you,
Your skin, your eyes, your feelings
Whether old or new.
I hope that you’ll remember
Even when you’re feeling blue
That it’s you I like,
It’s you yourself,
It’s you, it’s you I like.
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