Sesame Street DVD for Military Families
Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization that produces "Sesame Street," is working on a DVD that will be distributed to military families. It is designed to help injured veterans talk about their disabilities with young children, according to an Associated Press article.
In the video, Rosita, a blue mop-headed muppet, is upset because her father has returned home from war in a wheelchair. Rosita angrily refers to the wheelchair as “that thing” and reminisces about the days when she could dance and kick a ball with her dad.
With encouragement from Elmo, Rosita musters the nerve to talk with her parents about how she is feeling.
This video may also be helpful for other children who recently had a relative lose a limb or become seriously injured.
I can't help but think of my own father. He lost his leg to diabetes and has been in a wheelchair since the spring. My son, Hendrick, who is almost 2, never knew my father to dance or play ball. He does know, however, how to hop on the back of a wheelchair and go for a spin.
Sometimes, when he is being silly, Hendrick carries around my dad's prosthesis - when he's not wearing it, of course - and proclaims, "Leg!" It makes my father laugh.
Perhaps if Hendrick was a little older he wouldn't have been so accepting of his grandfather's condition. He, like Rosita, probably would have been resentful of the change.
Whether it's war or illness that leaves a parent crippled, it always a sad turn of events. The producers at Sesame Workshop deserve a great deal of praise for helping these children cope with their loss.
In the video, Rosita, a blue mop-headed muppet, is upset because her father has returned home from war in a wheelchair. Rosita angrily refers to the wheelchair as “that thing” and reminisces about the days when she could dance and kick a ball with her dad.
With encouragement from Elmo, Rosita musters the nerve to talk with her parents about how she is feeling.
This video may also be helpful for other children who recently had a relative lose a limb or become seriously injured.
I can't help but think of my own father. He lost his leg to diabetes and has been in a wheelchair since the spring. My son, Hendrick, who is almost 2, never knew my father to dance or play ball. He does know, however, how to hop on the back of a wheelchair and go for a spin.
Sometimes, when he is being silly, Hendrick carries around my dad's prosthesis - when he's not wearing it, of course - and proclaims, "Leg!" It makes my father laugh.
Perhaps if Hendrick was a little older he wouldn't have been so accepting of his grandfather's condition. He, like Rosita, probably would have been resentful of the change.
Whether it's war or illness that leaves a parent crippled, it always a sad turn of events. The producers at Sesame Workshop deserve a great deal of praise for helping these children cope with their loss.
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