7 Powerful Things I Learned ON Sesame Street

 A Love Of Learning ~ I love learning… it’s the purpose of my life! I love teaching what I learn. Sesame Street taught us the fun of learning, curiosity, and discovery…and that you can learn anytime, anywhere, and through any medium. I’ve passed along my love of reading, writing, learning, and teaching to my daughters, and my eyes just got watery because I think it’s such a blessing that I have been able to share the magic of Sesame Street with all my children, and even though it’s in another language, I can keep connected to my childhood. In an ever-changing world, I love that some things do stay the same.

A Deeper Understanding About Friendship ~ My favorite characters back then were Bert and Ernie (Beto y Enrique) and boy did we laugh with those two! They got along even though they were so different, and even opposite at times. This gave me so much hope because I always felt different and like no one understood me or could relate. I didn’t have to be the same or think the same to have a friend to love me unconditionally and accept me for who I am – and that I could do the same.

A Love Of Music ~ I still remember some of the songs my favorite little monsters and friends sung, and I loved singing along. To be honest, I still do. My favorite Sesame Street song moment of all times (I learned this one when Elisha was an infant and we used to play together watching the show) was hearing Bob sing “Sing” LOL. This song inspired me to make my life my own song and sing it to my own tune. If you have one of those days in which you don’t feel like you’re good enough, or you’re down on yourself, here’s what you do:

Sing
Sing a song
Sing out loud
Sing out strong
Sing of good things, not bad
Sing of happy, not sad

Sing
Sing a song
Make it simple
To last your whole life long
Don’t worry that it’s not good enough
For anyone else to hear
Sing
Sing a song

La la la la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la

Freedom to Laugh ~ To me, Sesame Street is the best of comedies, because I was not a very happy child, yet I could always count with my monster pals to make me laugh and giggle. Laughter is proven to be the best medicine and the best exercise. Growing up in a perfectionist environment, I could count on Sesame Street to help me not take everything so seriously and to really be a kid. I have very few childhood memories of “being a child,” so I truly treasure those moments.

Embracing Diversity ~ The Sesame Street monsters were all diverse: Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, Ernie, Bert, Grover, The Count, Zoe, Abby Cadabby, Rosita, Telly, Prairie Dawn, Baby Bear, Mr. Snuffleupagus… think about it. “The people in the neighborhood,” were also different Bob, Susan, Gordon, Maria, Luis, Gina, Alan. It didn’t matter what shape, color, size, or species you were, even if you were Two-Headed Monster, you were loved and accepted within the community. You could see any nationality, personality, and lifestyle, so you could always relate and find someone like you or any of your friends.The Sesame Street gang and guests represented people and monsters from all walks of life.

Believe it or not, I was more like Oscar The Grouch than you could imagine, and it warmed my heart that, even though I didn’t enjoy the same treatment, I could see that he was always treated with kindness, empathy, and understanding. I dreamed of a place like Sesame Street, but we always thought it was a mystery how to get there!

It was through Sesame Street that I learned what Sign Language was, and that I learned to grasp other disabilities, and how kids could be happy and enjoy life no matter what challenges they face. Big Bird seemed to always have such a sweet way of explaining hard issues like loss and grief in a way that gave me relief and peace.

The Power Of Vulnerability ~ While academic knowledge is important, the three main focuses of my homeschool  is life skills, values, and social-emotional intelligence. Through Sesame Street, I learned about becoming a good citizen of the world and the community, I learned about the power of my words, I learned about personal responsibility, acceptance, tolerance, and other fantastic values. I also learned how connection is made because empowering communication was modeled. Yes, Sesame Street was a place where everyone was happy, but that was because of the power of collaboration, the courage of asking for help or asking tough questions, the willingness to swallow one’s pride and set one’s ego aside, admitting you made a mistake, forgiving someone who hurt you… all those powerful and valuable lessons in ways that a child could understand, and taught by our favorite friends.

Positivity and Empowerment ~ Who wouldn’t dream of living on Sesame Street? I know I’m not alone in dreaming of a world where everyone loves, serves, and accepts each other; “where the air is sweet.” I understood early on that creating your own “Sunny Day” is how you get to Sesame Street. We each have the power to sweep our clouds away, and write the ending of our own story. Sure we knew that Sesame Street was pretend, but the feelings and the lessons are as real today as they were 30 years ago when I started watching the show. I teach those lessons to my daughters, and share those memories, and I’m there.

That’s how you get to Sesame Street: you practice the inspiring lessons you learned with everyone you meet, especially your children! Sesame Street is an attitude.

I cannot believe it’s been 46 years (Sesame Street’s first episode ran on Nov. 10, 1969) and kids all around the world, in 120 languages, have learned how to count, have learned the alphabet, and have learned positive and inspiring lessons that will stay with them, and have been passed on and practiced with everyone they meet. I am blessed to be one of those kids and that my daughters continue to enjoy this blessing.

This Saturday, January 16th at 9:00 am you can watch season 46 of the beloved Emmy Award-winning Sesame Street series on HBO, the nation’s leading premium cable network. HBO and HBO Latino (dubbed in Spanish) will air all new episodes as well as classic episodes from the last five seasons of Sesame Street.

I know the celebrity guests are a hit with many (I loved Celia Cruz and Maya Angelou!) and the new season has a fun line-up of guest stars including: Gwen Stefani, Pharrell Williams, Alan Cumming and Gina Rodriguez.

What is your favorite Sesame Street memory? Let’s have a PJ party this Saturday and have fun on the sunniest street on the universe! We know how to get there! 🙂

[ela]