I’m Angela Santomero, Creator of Daniel Tiger and This Is How I Parent.
The moment I first believed in Daniel Tiger’s power happened when my daughter was 3 years old. She was at a party in the park when I announced it was time to get home. Instead of melting in my lap and whimpering like she did in the past (goodbyes so sad!), She stopped, took a deep breath, and sang one of Daniel’s catchy tunes: “Time to stop, so pick another one. thing to do! “ Then she went down the hill for the last time, calmly walked up to me and sang: ” It was fun, but now it’s done. “
I stood dumbfounded.
For those who haven’t been living with a preschooler lately, Daniel Tiger is the red-sweater-clad and life-learning young star from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood , an animated series inspired by Mr. Rogers’s Neighborhood . The show, which covers topics from potty training to picky eating, was created by Angela Santomero, who is also the author of popular children’s programs such as Blues Clues , Wishenpoof , Creative Galaxy and Super Why. Her new book, Radical Kindness: The Life-Changing Power of Giving and Receiving , explores how doing good — to ourselves and to others — can help us live more fulfilling, happier, healthier, and more successful lives. This is what she practices at home with her family in New York. Here Santomero talks about his parents.
Name: Angela Santomero Location: New York Job: Chief Creative Officer of 9 Story Media, Creator of Preschool TV Shows Family: Husband Greg and daughters Hope (18) and Ella (15)
Tell us about your career. Did it go according to plan or were there surprises?
Always surprises! Although I always knew that I wanted to follow in the footsteps of Fred Rogers – if that dream is possible at all.
How did he inspire you?
When I was four years old, I looked forward to [watch his show] every day. As soon as my mom turned on the TV, I couldn’t take my eyes off this friendly, loving face. Something about the way he spoke – so slowly, clearly and patiently – made me feel like he had all the time for me. I lived in a slightly chaotic Italian-American house, where everyone was passionately noisy and seemed to always rush from one case to another. But as I watched Mr. Rogers walk through his door, hang up his coat, put on a sweater and change shoes, all the noise from the outside world seemed to disappear.
I realized how much the media affects young children. I wanted to follow in Fred’s footsteps, so I got my MA in Child Development from Columbia University College of Education and decided to create a show that speaks respectfully to children, challenges them academically, and sees them the way Mr. Rogers saw me.
Tell us about your morning routine. What are your best tricks to get out the door?
The morning is hard, sometimes I write late. When the girls leave for school, Greg and I watch CBS This Morning for a bit and drink protein shakes. Sometimes we peloton, or meditate, or do simple yoga, but then we take a shower, go out the door and take the train to work.
What gadgets, apps, charts, or tools do you rely on?
My iPhone, Mac and iPad. I need my final copy for writing, my news and Vanity Fair articles, and my podcasts to keep me posted.
How much outside help do you get as a parent? Who or what cannot you live without?
We have a housekeeper who takes care of the house, laundry and prepares food for us. When the girls were young, we had a nanny. Greg works from home, so he did all the hard work with the babies. There is no such thing as “doing it all”.
Did your kids inspire ideas for Daniel Tiger ?
My girls have inspired many of my scripts. The episodes about Little Margaret in ” Daniel the Tiger” were almost an exact script for the birth of my second daughter!
Including Hope, who was two and a half years old, having a baby was very important in all aspects. She came to the appointment at the end of my pregnancy and saw the baby on an ultrasound scan – she literally carried her crib with us from her room to the baby’s room. She was looking for the perfect gift from her toys, and we even “included” her in the name of the newborn. She wanted to name her Blue Cinderella after two of her favorite characters, so we settled on Ella. Hope was so invested in her – she came to the hospital to meet Ella for the first time, full of curiosity about her new best friend. The hardest part was getting her to stop singing so loudly to the baby (the banging of her little guitar didn’t help!), Not hugging the baby so tightly and helping her realize that sleeping with a newborn in her bed was inappropriate. question.
Have you used Daniel Tiger’s strategies on your kids?
I’ve tried every strategy with girls in one way or another. Once, when Ella was about 12 years old, she got very angry about something. I looked at her and repeated the “crazy” strategy: “When you are so angry that you want to growl, take a deep breath and count to four …” Before I could outline the whole strategy, she said, “Don” t Daniel Tiger me , Mother! “
When your kids were growing up, what were your recommendations for screen time?
Girls had an hour a day — only on weekends — when they were little. I knew what shows they were watching and we talked about them. I also followed my example of Healthy Green Media Smoothies, which I wrote about in my book Tips for Preschoolers : the show should be educational (greens!), Entertaining (fruits!), And interactive (protein!). When a show is interactive, it can mean either Clue of Blue style or fun, inspirational and thought-provoking.
How do you involve children in work now?
They give me ideas, read scripts, take notes and watch animated watering cans. I value their point of view and have always wanted to reflect them in my work.
How do you share home / childcare responsibilities with your partner?
We are both responsible for our home, just like children. We’ve learned to prioritize stress levels and ask for help around the house when we need it.
Has becoming a parent changed the way you work?
I work more efficiently. I realized how much play and stupidity really help inspire me.
How do you unpack?
I love watching Netflix in bed. Now I watch all seasons, starting with the first season of New Girl.
What are you most proud of as a parent?
Watch them grow up and have their own opinions about the world and how to help it become better. I am also proud when I hear how much they want to achieve and achieve.
What moment are you least proud of?
When I get tired and lose my cool
What do you want your child to learn from your example?
Now that they are teenagers, I talk a lot about my difficulties as well as my achievements. I want them to learn from all of this.
What are your favorite funny / weird / special family rituals?
We play poker and love board games, and we started sitting in the dining room on Sundays with an Italian dinner, so it’s more ‘special’.
Has anyone ever given you parenting advice that you really liked?
You are the best parent when you don’t care what other parents think of you.
In your new book, Radical Kindness, you write about how treating ourselves and others with warmth, compassion, and respect can change our lives. How can parents show radical kindness, say, during a child’s tantrum?
Radical kindness can bring you relief. You look at your child with sensitive eyes, realizing how hard it is to be small and almost nothing to control. Tantrum is a way to stop time and say: “I need you!” When we look at our children with empathy, we can also find a little humor in the situation – we realize that we were all there! Oh yeah, tantrums don’t stop when kids graduate from preschool! They just look a little different.
What’s the hardest part about being a parent?
Little time in the day.
The only thing I would like to say to other parents who are pursuing a career:
At home, put your phone away (when you can), because there will always be something to do, but the children will not always be young and want to chat with you.