Mr. Rogers' Wisdom

I apologize for that little bit of radio silence the last couple of weeks, but in the wake of the CT tragedy, I hadn't felt much like writing.

For so many of us, this event just hurt on so many levels. Worst of all is the children and their families, which I have difficulty even thinking about. Having spent most of my career in elementary school settings made Newtown seem horribly close to home, as did thoughts of my mom, dad and sister, who have spent their lives in classrooms (my sister is a first grade teacher, additionally).

My thoughts and prayers continue to go out to this entire community, and for all of America as well.

So, although this is quite a delayed response, I wanted to post a resource that I found helpful in the days following December 14, and indeed shaped my response to a group of boys that brought up the event during a treatment session.  Good old Mr. Rogers:


I also found great comfort from his famous quote, which in itself is a strategic use of reframing:

"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in 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."