Mister Rogers Would Want Parents to Explain Death

Publication: Pittsburgh Tribune Review
Author: Alyson Walls and Mark Houser
Date: February 28, 2003

MISTER ROGERS WOULD WANT PARENTS TO EXPLAIN DEATH
By Alyson Walls and Mark Houser

Fred Rogers once said, “Anything that is human is mentionable, and anything mentionable is manageable.”

Like a caring neighbor, Rogers created a relationship that touched millions of children with shows that explored their feelings, questions and concerns about real-life issues such as divorce, anger and death. Now, parents must draw from the lessons Rogers taught to explain the TV legend’s death to their own children.

Each week, Rogers talked about a major childhood theme using real-life characters and a make-believe puppet story.

“It was just a nice, quiet time. Very soft and warm and calm,” said Maryann Flanders of Glenshaw. Flanders and her husband, Ron, brought their grandchildren to Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood at the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum yesterday.

Local experts say that’s precisely the way parents and caregivers should approach the subject of death with their own children.

-- Read this complete article at triblive.com