It's You I Like...Just the Way You Are

I should have known my last name would be "Rogers" one day. My favorite show as a kid was "Mr Rogers' Neighborhood". I loved Mr. Rogers- that sweater-wearing, shoe-changing, fish-feeding, soft-talking gentleman. When he sang "It's You I Like", I felt he was singing it right to me, a little girl who needed to hear that all the time.
People like to make fun of Mr. Rogers, especially Eddie Murphy, who parodied him all the time on SNL. I was particularly protective of him, like you would be a favorite uncle, Grandpa, or father. Even into adulthood, watching with my girls, I was mesmerized by his unique way of speaking to children and relating to them. Many adults back then just didn't know how to do that, so it really stood out to me. He was a minister and a great family man. His character was real, unlike many of the characters on TV today. He was a father figure to children growing up without dads, a pretty big role to fill.
I loved Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, and now I have my own Mr. Rogers to love. He doesn't wear cardigans and he never feeds the fish, but he likes me. Just the way I am.