Children Grow by Testing Limits
Thoughts for the Week:
Children grow by testing limits,
especially when caring adults are close by to help them find out what can and
cannot be. Nobody says "yes" all the time, and nobody says
"no" all the time. The times of testing can be hard on children - on
parents and caregivers, too - but we all need to learn that life is a mixture
of what is and is not possible. Coping with disappointment and accepting
necessary limits are both important to children's healthy emotional growth.
-- Fred Rogers
Summary of the Week:
This week of
programs helps viewers understand that we don't always get to do just what we
want to do. Those disappointing times can be hard -- for children and adults!
There are
"yeses" and "nos" in the creative endeavors of a potter and painter. When
Mister Rogers meets with the McFeely's granddaughter Chrissie who has a
disability, viewers can see that while some people can't do some things, there
are many other things they can do.
In the Neighborhood of Make-Believe
there's a wedding being planned. Daniel Tiger says "no" at first to being a
ring-bearer because he's afraid he'll turn into a "ring bear." On the other
hand, Ana Platypus is upset because she wanted to be part of the wedding party
and wasn't invited to be in it. Daniel's friends help him overcome his
worries, and Ana learns that watching the wedding is also a way of
participating.