Mister Rogers and the Art of Paying Attention

From the hungry cries of newborns, to the whining helplessness of tired toddlers, to the sulking of older children, kids demand their parents’ attention in many different ways. The beloved children’s-show host Fred Rogers knew this well—he saw that kids benefit from the predictable attention of the big humans who take care of them. In the many tributes by writers and filmmakers to Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and its host, now that 50 years have passed since the show debuted, there has been much talk of Mister Rogers’s gentleness, kindness, and empathy.