Wishing and Pretending (Tape 4)
Artist: Fred Rogers
Date: 1979
Format: Cassette
Label: Hubbard
Series: I Am, I Can, I Will
Catalog: 000-8698
Running Time: Approximately 08:08
Copyright © 1975 Family Communications, Inc.
Transcription
Did you ever go to a farm? Or see some pictures or hear some stories of a farm? I remember when I was a little boy my father took me to a farm to see the animals. I saw cows, a duck, and horses, and chickens, and lots of other animals. One of the things I liked most about the animals was the way they sounded.
Do you know what a cow sounds like? Mooooo. Can you moo like that? Try. Mooooo.
Or cluck like a hen. Cluck cluck cluck.
I wrote a song once about making different farm sounds. Sing it along with me if you want. If you don’t want to sing, maybe you’d like to tap your feet or snap your fingers.
[Sings I Can Moo Like a Cow]
You know when children makes sounds like “mooo” or “cluck cluck” they often like to pretend that they really are a cow or a hen. I think everybody likes to make up things once in a while. Pretending about things is a very good way to learn about them.
When I was little and playing by myself, I would often make-believe that I was playing with a friend. Of course it was just a pretend friend. But it was fun for me. There’s so much you can do with pretending.
[Sings By Pretending]
I used to pretend I had an imaginary friend because I wished I really did have a friend to play with. I used to wish for a lot of things. Maybe you do, too.
Do you ever wish you could run fast and be the leader of all the children? Do you sometimes wish you could do things without anybody helping you? Do you ever have mad wishes that scary things might happen?
Most children are scared when their mothers get sick, but a little girl I know was once very angry with her mother because her mother wouldn’t let her do the things she wanted to do. She was so angry that she wished her mother would get sick. But her mother didn’t get sick. She stayed well. It’s not wishing that makes people sick. After a while when the little girl wasn’t angry with her mother anymore, she was very glad her mother didn’t get sick. I used to wish for scary things sometimes, too. But then as I grew, I learned that those kinds of wishes don’t really hurt anybody. They just showed that I was angry inside.
[Sings Wishes Don't Make Things Come True]
No. Wishing and pretending can’t ever make things come true. But wishing and pretending are often fun and they’re a big part of growing. But it’s important for all of us to know what’s pretend and what is real. You have your own pretend, but you also have your own things that you can really do. And children can do many things. Even some things that grown-ups can’t do well anymore. I like who you really are and the things you really can do.
[Sings Children Can]