I Write TV Shows for Kids, but Here Is Why I Needed to Write a Book for Adults
It’s true; I am a writer for kids, but I’m also an author for adults. I have created and written many shows for kids from Blue’s Clues to Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood to Super Why. Through my work, I’ve been studying and researching this book for over 25 years. All of my work in writing, researching, teaching, and working with kids has led me to this moment in time. I believe, whole heartedly, that what I’ve learned from kids and from my work in kids TV—is just what we, as adults, need to know now.
(12 Magical Quotes From The Little Prince.)
Let me explain. I believe kids are brilliant, hysterical, open, non-judgmental, curious, and innately kind. These are attributes that I look for in friends, colleagues, and relationships—basically a prerequisite for everyone around me. I also strive for to live these attributes for myself to benefit others. But it’s not easy.
Life gets harder as adults, and the first thing we seem to lose is our sense of humor. We don’t want to get hurt, so we put up armor. We become less open to new ideas, so we don’t fail. We become a bit more judgmental because of our own experiences. We become too busy to be curious, and some of us feel that being kind doesn’t get us anywhere.
But, in my opinion, life is hard; that’s a fact, but what makes it easier is if we lean into the true essence of what it means to think like a kid and hold onto the simple rules that they live by. When we do this, we have more joy, more passion, and more happiness.
My whole life I was surrounded by kids—I was the babysitter that was forever booked, a camp counselor that took care of the most kids, and I worked in FAO Schwartz in high school. In college, I volunteered in a preschool classroom as a Teacher’s Assistant. On my first day in the classroom, I was getting everything wrong. I was late, couldn’t quite follow the routine, and didn’t know some of the basic rules of the classroom. I was frustrated and upset, and was ready to quit, thinking that I wasn’t up to snuff.
We were in the end of the day, closing circle, and one of the preschoolers, named Morgan leaned over and whispered in my ear. She said, “Don’t worry, you’ll get it. It just takes time.” I looked at her, and nodded, tears stinging my eyes. How did this four-year-old know that I needed some words of encouragement? And, more importantly, how did she know enough, in her four years on this planet, how to tell me what I couldn’t tell myself?
I made a mental note to myself to lean into what these kids had to say and to learn about how they view the world. I learned a lot that year and went on to get my master’s in child developmental psychology to do an even deeper dive into how kid’s brains work. Backed by research, I’ve used many of these ideas in my shows and have had success, with kids and with adults. Adults have reached out to me about how much their kids love the shows, and how much the kids learn. But the adults also can’t help but tell me what they learn from my shows. Parents have said that they learned how to be more patient, more kind, more playful, and have more fun. Isn’t that a recipe for happiness?
I’ve learned so much over the years, that I want to shine a light on what I know about how kids view the world and use it to give us all the tools to live our best lives. I’m more motivated than ever to share the life clues that I’ve collected to remind us of how important it is to remember these little lessons that can make a huge difference to our lives and the lives of those around us.
Check out Angela Santomero’s Life Clues here:
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