This weekend, I binge-watchedMister Rogers Neighborhood.
(I live to party, I know.)
The beloved childrens show starring Fred Rogers and his many zip-up sweaters (made by his mom!)
Not the things that hide you.
Surprisingly, she did.
Thats Prince Wednesdays house!
Thats where Lady Elaine lives!
), but she liked it, and we watched one episode after another.
As an adult, I had forgotten how remarkably slow the show was.
For instance, in Episode No.
1656, Mister Rogers walks up the step to his front door, and then down.
And then up and then down again.
I started getting fidgety and twitchy.
I once sat through this?
Theres something aboutMister Rogers, I am telling you.
And its not just me.
Christakis gave aTEDX talk on this topic.
How come theres no marionette going back and forth?
Why do I have to walk from here to there?
But Christakisalso foundthat educational, slower-paced programming imposed no contributing risk of attention problems.
And thats whereMister Rogerscomes in.
It has a slowly unfolding narrative.
The scenes change only about three times in every episode.
It sends good messages.
Inone study of 5,000 children, those who watched such pro-social programs were kinder and more tolerant.
Anotherlong-term studythat followed children from preschool through high school found thatMister RogersandSesame Streetboth had positive effects.
This weekend, we watched a bit ofMister Rogersand then it became background noise.
For a kid, its enjoyable and educational, but its not addictive.
As a parent, I approve.
Im always on the lookout for other high quality shows.
If youre looking for some nostalgia, check this out.
The double feature episodes will begin today, Monday, February 26, and end Friday, March 2.
