The Mister Rogers' Parenting Book: Helping To Understand Your Young Child

by Fred Rogers

Reassuring and wonderfully accessible, full of child development insight and practical ideas from a trusted friend of both children and adults, this innovative book is a valuable resource for all parents of 2 to 6year-olds who are faced with a variety of new and challenging situations. Charmingly illustrated, it addresses everyday experiences such as bedtime struggles, mealtimes, going to the doctor, as well as difficult times like divorce and death.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Childrens

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 16, 2002

About the author

Fred McFeely Rogers was an American educator, minister, songwriter, and television host. Rogers was the host of the television show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, in production from 1968 to 2001. Rogers was also an ordained Presbyterian minister.

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe chunks of this book were taken from the older one I'd already read, but parts were new.

It goes through lots of experiences/issues that people with kids face. It covers generic things about children growing and also has in depth sections on death, new siblings, etc. It's easy to read, well-organized, and I'm sure will be referred to when we hit bumps in the road.

Mister Rogers reminds you to try to think like children. And so far, it works. Samma was having a huge fit about something the other day and I stopped, hugged her, and held her while she cried about not being able to stop crying. I realized that's got to feel pretty rotten so I held her and told her that it stinks when you feel out of control like that but that she was safe and I was holding her. As she started to calm down I asked if she wanted to be alone or if she wanted me to still hold her and she stayed on my lap.

I often hold her, but the insight from Mister Rogers was that she didn't want to feel out of control and it is scary so she needed an adult to tell her everything was OK, that she was OK, and most importantly, to validate her feelings.

I love Mister Rogers.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best parenting book. Period. Fred Rogers can say in one simple and well-put sentence what many other authors say in a chapter. I would recommend the introduction of the book to be read as a precursor to any parenting study--written by him or not. I also encourage parents or step-parents to simply check out the table on contents on Amazon to see if any of the topics are applicable to their family. It is worth checking out even for one chapter. Wonderful book--wonderful man!

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked how straight-forward this book is — not long-winded like some books can be. I found the “helpful hints” at the end of each chapter to be the best feature.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my limited experience, this is the best book for learning, with the gentle guidance of a man who really knows and cares, how to communicate with children.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

My adoration of Mister Rogers continues well beyond his death, and this book is a gem of how to be a thoughtful, calm, on-your-kid's-level parent.

[Danielle Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short book really focusing on imagining your child’s feelings. Gentle reminders from Mr. Rogers that events like learning to use the potty and visit the doctor may be scary to young children. And that regressions in potty training can happen if anything changes (like starting school). Basic common sense reminders that parents can often easily overlook - explain to your child what will happen in a new situation, give them a warning before changing activities, etc. In a new or scary situation, such as a doctor appointment, let them pretend to be the doctor as they process emotions through play. They may even process the death of a loved one through play. Always validate their feelings (it’s ok to be angry) but remind them of healthy ways to express their feelings (it’s never ok to hurt the new baby). Know they may behave oddly (hiding from you at daycare pick up) because they are processing emotions of you having left them there earlier in the day.

[Opal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to choose a parenting book to review for a Children's psychology course and I always wondered how Mr. Rogers would encourage us to speak to our children, especially as somebody who grew up watching his show.

I was really drawn into this book, it's broken up into bite sized segments to make it easy to grasp. A lot of the concepts he mentions involve emotionally connecting to children, some developmental norms and how to handle them but above all I think this book focuses not only on what's 'normal' but what we can do just as we are to better parent children.

I think there's a lot to be gained here and Mr. Rogers does a great job at explaining to us not only children's emotions but our own and how they impact one another.

[MrsMJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the format of the book: Concise, helpful information and tips. Went hand-in hand with the Montessori and Positive Discipline approaches that I’ve read about in other books, without directly mentioning them. Put things in a different perspective/wording, so even though it was similar info, it was still a good read. I liked the focus on how play can be so important for kids’ emotional needs and helping them process/understand the world around them and their experiences. Interesting insights about how children view/process things such as television, the news, and other things differently than adults.

Wondering why only 3 stars? I give 4 stars to great books and 5 stars to life-changing, mind-blowing, unforgettable books. So 3 stars for me is a good book.

[Kellyanne Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much from Mister Rogers as a kid, and I love him dearly. Matter Of The Mittens was one of my favorite books. I watched his show regularly until age 11, and I was in my early twenties when I tuned in to watch the final episode as it aired. Now I have a six month old baby girl. I was thrilled when I saw that Mister Rogers wrote parenting books. I’m continuing to learn from him. I appreciate his approach and his gentle guidance, as well as his insights into the mind of a child. I highly recommend this book.

[Cheryl Anthoney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am convinced that Fred Rogers was one of the kindest public figures to ever live. His parenting book did not disappoint. In his humble, straightforward way, he helped me remember the confusion, fantasy, and feelings of childhood. His empathy extends even to parents as he discusses the feelings that we may have in different situations. This is a useful handbook that I can flip through whenever I need quick advice offered with Mister Rogers' trademark compassion.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

As usual, Fred Rogers breaks things down to their component parts and keeps them as simple as possible. His parenting approach comprises setting clear expectations and boundaries for children, while still maintaining empathy during their frequent overreactions. Coming back to these basics has always been welcomed by my own kiddos.

[Cristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want a simple, straight forward book with basic parenting tips in a format that you can read quickly then this book is for you. Mr. Rogers approaches every topic with love for children and respect for families.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very quick read; short and simple and exactly what you would expect from Mr.Rodgers. There was nothing groundbreaking for me to take away from this book, but the continuous theme of gentle and understanding love is always welcome.

[J. Alfred · Rating 3 out of 5]

In our house, we're pretty sure Fred Rogers is a saint. This book reads like it was written by a saintly person, by which I mean it is humble, useful, and not particularly interesting otherwise. But it's a nice thing to have on the shelf.

[Leticia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not super in depth but sometimes not everything has to be. Easy to navigate and clearly organized sections. I'll read anything from Mister Rogers.

[Alexa H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Succinct summaries with valid explanations and action items.

[Wonkybadonk · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could only read one book about parenting before having kids this would be it. It covers a bunch of stuff, helps you think from a kids' point of view, and it is very easy to read.

[Liz Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This being the book to break my reading slump lmao

[Greg Metcalf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This child development book was very much intended for parents and not writers researching writing a book about parents raising kids. It covers a wide range of topics and sums them up with solid parenting approaches that got repetitive, but that's good, for parents, because that makes such a challenging task seem simpler. Just keep a calm manner and be a good, active listener, and hold firm to limits you set. Simple stuff. Easier said than done, no doubt, but having this book to read and reread occasionally would be a good way to keep that state of mind. Plus he tells, in this book, the beautiful story I already knew about what his mom told him whenever a tragedy occurred and was on the news. "Watch for the helpers. Whenever there is a tragedy you will always find people helping." (paraphrased from memory)

[Petrie Serrano · Rating 5 out of 5]

When my son was born the vows I made to myself were always to take his concerns seriously, never to make a promise I didn't intend to keep, to give him control over things that make no difference to me and all the world to him, and to solve as much as possible with hugging.

I'm absolutely certain after reading this book that I soaked up these values while my parents were watching Mr. Rogers with me as a kid. I don't think any other parenting book or site has spoken to me this way, though I think many of them borrow from it, and I'm delighted to have stumbled across it.

There's really nothing like a talk with Mr. Rogers to make you feel both good and confident.

[Shane Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't read this book recently, but I often think about it when I'm talking to other parents. Mr. Rogers offers a lot of solid and practical advice for raising kids, but what made this book so memorable to me was the tone of compassion and the specific way he'd break complex issues down into manageable ones.

I don't often reread books, but I'm definitely going to read this one again in a couple years.

[Emily Mellow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring. It's all presented in a very do-able, easy and rational way. The only problem is now I feel like I should get a dog for my kids, which I definitely don't want to do. Everything else is easy.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't a bad book, but it isn't really amazing either. Because it's written for a really broad audience, it looses some of the personal charm that comes from other Mr. Rogers books.

Nonetheless, it has good advice and covers some good topics.

[Thelittlestbrooks-livingston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like a lot of folks, my love of Mister Rogers goes way back. As a hopeful adoptive parent, I was happy to find this book, which tackles all sorts of potential parenting situations and gives good suggestions - there's even a page or two on talking to your child about adoption. Thumbs up from me.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I actually purchased a copy for myself. Mister Rogers was such a salt of the earth kind of guy. He genuinely cared about children and helping them to have a wholesome childhood. Wonderful child-rearing strategies.

[Janey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I adore Fred Rogers. It was a nice, general parenting book--best for new parents.

[Jamie Hornych · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a good parenting book if you hadn't read parenting books. I should probably stop reading general parenting books.

[Annabelle.voo Voorhees · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most brilliant books ever. If you have young children, you owe it to them and to yourself to read this. Mister Rogers is a genius and my hero.

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