Mister Rogers

I know that I just quoted Mister Rogers recently but I have been thinking about children and how they are treated and how terrible their lives can be...and who else to talk about this with than Mister Rogers.
So, a quote from him:
"Please think of children first. If you ever have anything to do with their entertainment, their food, their toys, their custody, their day or night care, their health care, their education- listen to the children, learn about them, learn from them. Think of the children first."

How many children's lives would be different if all the adults in their lives thought of their needs first? Not just making sure they had something to eat and clean clothes and a place to sleep...but really thought about their needs...if they knew that too much TV wasn't good for them and that not everything on TV was appropriate for them... What if they read stories to them and sang to them? What if they told them stories about their time growing up and taught them to make up funny stories or poems themselves? What if they held them in their laps and told them how much they love them? What if the parents shared their faith with their children? What if they were helped to develop their gifts...not just athletic gifts..but gifts of listening, singing, drawing, painting, dancing, telling funny stories, making silly faces, talking with the elderly, being patient, cooking...you get the picture. It breaks my heart when I see children being mistreated and I wish there was some way to just fix all the situations where they are being abused, ignored, or made to feel like they aren't worthy.