“Look For the Helpers”
“Fred Rogers often told this story about when he was a boy and would see scary things on the news: “My mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers-so many caring people in this world.””
After the Newton shootings, I shared some thoughts and suggestions on how to support young children during tragedies and crises. This piece from the folks at “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood” might be the single best and most accessible resource I’ve seen on the matter for parents and educators alike, the quoted section above in particular. “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping…” Sound advice… for children and adults to like.
A special thank you to the helpers in our midst, first and foremost the estimable Dr. Russell Saunders.
What a sweet and kind thing to say, Kazzy. I wish I had been in some kind of position to help yesterday. I spent all morning being pleased that I didn’t have to wend my way through traffic to get to the hospital, as I had no patients on the wards. I spent all evening wishing I’d had a reason to be at the hospital so I could actually be doing something.Report
Yesterday was not the only day where help was needed or will be given.Report
As a writer and a teacher, I found your post the best one today on the sad aftermath of the disaster. Many of our college students are young parents, and they need all the help they can get. I’m going to pass Fred Rogers’ wisdom on to them.
Thank you.Report
Thank you, Shelley. The credit is really all Fred’s and his people’s. I was just fortunate enough to find this (on Snopes of all places) and to have some venus from which to share it.Report
Enzi’s advice for parents of small children, repeated for humor:
“There is no doubt that we need to do more to curb the senseless acts of violence that continue to occur in this country,” Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), an opponent of the underlining gun bill, said. “One of the things we need are parents, parents to be more careful and more repetitive at telling their kids that it is not right to kill people. It’s not even right to bully them. And it’s definitely not right for them to kill themselves. Until we can get that message across to our kids, I hope that we don’t rely on a few votes by this body to make everybody feel comfortable that all the problem is taken care of.”Report