The Importance of Experiencing Love in Childhood

Steve Adubato goes on-location to the Turrell Fund Day for Children in Shelburne, Vermont to speak with Reverend Bill Gannon, Retired Reverend at Episcopal Diocese of Newark & Turrell Fund Trustee, about the importance of surrounding children with love throughout their childhood into adulthood.

11/4/19 #2257

Excerpt:

"Hi, I'm Steve Adubato. You can tell we're not in the studio in New Jersey. We're, in fact, in Vermont. Shelburne, Vermont. Behind us, this is, in fact the Shelburne Farms Coach Barn at Shelburne Farms. We're here for the Turrell Fund Day For Children. And we're honored to be speaking to a whole range of people who have dedicated their professional, and in some cases, their personal life, to advocating for children. Particularly infants and toddlers. This is part of our Right From the Start NJ initiative. I'm pleased to welcome Reverend Bill Gannon, retired Reverend at the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, and also a Turrell Fund trustee. Good to see you Bill. Good to be here. Now Bill... Bill gave a presentation when you spoke earlier here at this conference. And by the way, we're at a farm. You're gonna hear all kinds of sounds around us. All about love. What's the connection between love and our infants and toddlers? Well, love is the wholesome food for the youngest human beings, babies age one to three and up to five. And as they experience love from parents and relatives and others, they become more of who they will eventually finish becoming. You know, one of the themes here at this conference focuses a lot on Fred Rogers. Fred Rogers from PBS. Mister Rogers' Neighborhood debuted in 1968. 51 years later, we're here in Vermont. By the way, we're here in Vermont also because Vermont has a track record of really doing important work when it comes to early childhood related issues, child care issues, early childhood development. They're seen as a national model by many. Make the connection between Fred Rogers and the work that he did and his incredible impact on young children in this nation. Well, Fred Rogers is very important, partly as a representative of how you connect with young people. He, in some ways, had a genius for being simple, and for treating the young people that he communicated with on their terms, rather than requiring them to treat him on his terms. And I would say that he... his work was greatly multiplied by both those who were watching back when he was on television, as well as the whole educational system, daycare, schools, anybody professionally interested in education, must have admired how he conducted himself with young people. You know, I'm curious about this. This is not a discussion about politics per se, but it is a discussion about where we are in society. So I'm curious. As a trustee at the Turrell Fund, you and your colleagues at the fund, committed very much to children, and also a more civil, dare I say, society? So if..."