Helping Children Feel Good about Who They Are
Thoughts for the Week:
There's a musical mini-series in the Neighborhood of
Make-Believe this week, "Josephine the Short-Neck Giraffe." This story has
special meaning for anyone -- child or adult -- who has ever felt unhappy about
being "different."
Pretending is one of the ways children can come to feel
comfortable about who they are. In play, they can "become" someone else for a
while, someone else with different characteristics and motives. They can try
out a variety of roles; and, with the help of a trusted adult, they can sort
out reality from fantasy and perhaps come to feel better about who they really
are.
Every one
of us has characteristics that make us different from everyone else. We can
all learn to value ourselves and each other as individuals, capable of finding
fulfillment in life and capable of giving and receiving in very special ways.
That's what Josephine the Short-Neck Giraffe finally does. She's finally able
to sing "I'm Glad I'm The Way I Am."
-- Fred Rogers
Summary of the Week:
"Josephine the
Short-Neck Giraffe" is a three-day musical story in the Neighborhood of
Make-Believe. Josephine is a young giraffe, who is unhappy with her short neck
and yearns for one that is long and graceful -- the kind all other giraffes have.
With the support of her caring friends she comes to understand that she's much
more than her neck and begins to appreciate the way she is. In connection with
the costumed Make-Believe animals, Mister Rogers visits the Wild Animal Park in
San Diego to let children see some real giraffes and elephants in a natural
habitat.
