Yesterday was the 49th anniversary since everyone’s favorite show, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” debuted on U.S. television. Regardless of who you are, you probably watched the show–and even your bubbe loves the show, and you know your bubbe is picky. In the three-decade educated and entertained young kids everywhere (which truly does seem like heaven on earth for parents everywhere).
The best thing about the show is the fact that is continuously broke barriers. One surprising barrier is breastfeeding–the show normalized breastfeeding in a 1984 episode, proving that the show was often ahead of its time, considering breastfeeding in public is somehow still a controversial topic.
Episode 1536 focused on food (ha!) and appropriately featured a segment in which the host explained ways mammals get nourishment when they are young. Mr. Rogers explained:
“Most baby animals and human babies start out by drinking their mothers’ milk. Let’s just think of all kinds of babies drinking milk.”
The montage then included human moms breastfeeding their babies–and also showed a mother bottle-feeding her baby. Rogers went on to say:
“Mothers often find a lot of pleasure in feeding their babies. Feeding can be a wonderful way of expressing love. When mothers and babies are ready, the babies start eating other foods beside milk.”
This segment is timeless, and still relevant, as it illustrates how natural breastfeeding is as a way to normalize it, while also promoting all types ways to feed children. And this is something a lot of adults need to learn, not just kids.
Watch the clip below:
