I’m the parent of an infant and a toddler. So, I spend a lot of time googling, reading and asking for advice about everything big and small. And, mostly, small: pros and cons of pacifiers, diaper rash remedies, best sleep sacs, how to get more sleep, potty training do’s and don’ts. You get the idea.
However, I was reading a great piece in the New York Times about Tom Hanks in his role as Mister Rogers and his take on parenting felt bigger. Like the kind of thing I should read every week into their adolescence and adulthood.
It isn’t easy being a parent, not for any of us, he said. “Somewhere along the line, I figured out, the only thing really, I think, eventually a parent can do is say I love you, there’s nothing you can do wrong, you cannot hurt my feelings, I hope you will forgive me on occasion, and what do you need me to do? You offer up that to them. I will do anything I can possibly do in order to keep you safe. That’s it. Offer that up and then just love them.”
We all need to hear that, whether you are a parent or not.
I started reading the article because I’m a Mister Rogers fan, but I kept reading because I became a Tom Hank’s fan.
I’m simplifying a much more in depth article about the actor. Do yourself a favor and read the whole thing: ”
This Tom Hanks Story Will Help You Feel Less Bad
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And, here is the newest trailer for his movie “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
(Amy Iler is a talk-show host at 790 AM KFGO – and 94.1 FM – in Fargo-Moorhead. She can be heard weekdays 11am-2pm during “It Takes 2 with Amy & JJ”. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKFGO.)
