I want to ask you if Fred Rogers were here today and you could sit down with him.

He sat across from you and said,

I actually need nice to meet you, I'm Fred.

I want to know what you would ask him.

I mean, it wouldn't be one question.

I want you to tell me about every person you've ever loved.

I think there's so much to learn from listening to people talk about the people who make them feel a certain way.

So there I am on the couch with Mr. Rogers.

Wow, look at my face.

The way that he looked at me, I felt like he saw me.

Kids, they grow out of him as though they've graduated from Fred Rogers, but it still resonates.

Are you okay today?

I am because I'm getting to visit with you now.

That makes my day a special one.

He had a calling, one that allowed him to communicate in a way that the ordinary person does not.

When we people can understand our feelings and talk about them, we're free to be who we like being.

For 30 years, Mr. Rogers looked through our television screens and said to millions of kids,

I see you. I like you just the way you are.

But what do we miss about Fred's message when we only focus on the sweater and the sneakers?

I mean, does Fred Rogers matter today?

I think a lot of people just thought that he was very simplistic, but there was an incredible depth and call to action on the show.

I'm Carva O'Wallis and this is Finding Fred, a ten-part series from I Heart Media and Fatherly in partnership with Transmitter Media.

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