If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that we have adopted a rescue dog, Charlie, who often has had anxious behaviors. For a long time now, I’ve been wanting to write a blog post about what one of our dog trainers called “the Mr. Rogers hack.” She suggested that we talk to Charlie about scary things by using simple language to talk honestly about what is happening, imitating the style of Mr. Rogers.
It seems particularly appropriate to write this post on Halloween, because one example of this hack is that in 1975, Mr. Rogers invited Margaret Hamilton (who played the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz) to his show so that she could show children her costume.
As I was thinking about the Mr. Rogers hack and about Halloween, I asked Google: explain scary things in the style of Mr. Rogers. I found the answer helpful:
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To explain scary things in the style of Mr. Rogers, the approach involves gentle honesty, affirmation of feelings, and focusing on helpfulness and safety. He understood that children's fantasies could be far worse than reality, so his goal was to provide clear, simple, and reassuring explanations to prevent confusion and fear.
Here is how he would likely explain three common fears:
