[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.charlesullman.com\/sesame-street-to-tackle-the-touchy-topic-of-divorce#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.charlesullman.com\/sesame-street-to-tackle-the-touchy-topic-of-divorce","headline":"What \u2018Sesame Street\u2019 Can Teach Your Children About Divorce","name":"What \u2018Sesame Street\u2019 Can Teach Your Children About Divorce","description":"Since its debut in 1969, the world\u2019s most popular show for kids has taught us a lot more than how to get to Sesame Street. Even one of the show\u2019s few failures has something to teach us: Divorce is an incredibly difficult topic for children. \u201cSesame Street\u201d producers learned that...","datePublished":"2012-12-13","dateModified":"2019-12-09","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.charlesullman.com\/author\/charlesullman#Person","name":"Charles R. Ullman & Associates","url":"https:\/\/www.charlesullman.com\/author\/charlesullman","identifier":7,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b1be1fb990426716ccc017175b6aa0896e4c2f7f629307d9491d2bf729b1cd81?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b1be1fb990426716ccc017175b6aa0896e4c2f7f629307d9491d2bf729b1cd81?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Charles R. Ullman & Associates","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.charlesullman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/logo.png","url":"https:\/\/www.charlesullman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/logo.png","width":310,"height":78}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.charlesullman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/divorce-child-custody.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.charlesullman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/divorce-child-custody.jpg","height":285,"width":600},"url":"https:\/\/www.charlesullman.com\/sesame-street-to-tackle-the-touchy-topic-of-divorce","about":["Child Custody","Child Support","Divorce & Separation"],"wordCount":1072,"articleBody":"Since its debut in 1969, the world\u2019s most popular show for kids has taught us a lot more than how to get to Sesame Street. Even one of the show\u2019s few failures has something to teach us: Divorce is an incredibly difficult topic for children.\u201cSesame Street\u201d producers learned that the hard way in 1992 when they had Snuffleupagus broach the subject with Big Bird for a test audience of preschoolers. \u201cMy dad is moving out of our cave,\u201d Snuffy says. The reaction was so awful, with tears and fears of losing mommies and daddies, that the project was never aired, and the subject was avoided until 2012.Because of the high rate of divorce in the United States \u2013 between 40 percent and 50 percent of marriages fail, according to the American Psychological Association \u2013 \u201cSesame Street\u201d took up the challenge again. This time the wee fairy Muppet Abby Cadabby brings it up, and she has the magic it takes to make it work, especially when paired with all the songs, videos, coloring books, storybooks, apps, and other bells and whistles that come with the educational project titled\u00a0\u201cLittle Children, Big Challenges: Divorce.\u201dDivorce: From Muppets\u2019 Lips to Kids\u2019 EarsThe heart of the \u201cSesame Street\u201d divorce toolkit is a video presentation that includes a highlights segment. Some of the main messages for children can be found in the following segments:\u201cWhat Is Divorce?\u201d\u00a0shows the magnitude of divorce as seen through a child\u2019s eyes.\u00a0The first segment features Abby, Elmo, and Rosita drawing pictures of their homes. Abby puzzles her pals when she holds up pictures of two homes, one where she lives with Mommy, and one where she lives with Daddy.Longtime human character Gordon (Roscoe Orman) steps in and explains the physical realities of divorce that Abby\u2019s two pictures represent after Elmo asks, \u201cBut Abby, why don\u2019t you all live in one house together?\u201dAbby says the \u201cD\u201d word, and Gordon explains what it is and why, in gentle, simple terms.\u201cAbby\u2019s Story\u201d\u00a0shows that children can emerge from divorce feeling loved and accepted.\u00a0Abby\u2019s magic crayons draw the home where her family had lived together, with a rainbow overhead. It shows the three of them sitting on a couch: \u201cMommy and Daddy told me they decided not to be married to each other anymore, but they said they both still loved me very much.\u201cMy Mommy would still be my Mommy, and my Daddy would still be my Daddy, and they would always love me and take care of me, no matter what.\u201d\u201cIt\u2019s Not Your Fault\u201d\u00a0shows that children can \u2013 but shouldn\u2019t \u2013 feel responsible for the split.\u00a0This is where Abby confides in Gordon about her parents\u2019 divorce: \u201cSometimes I worry that it\u2019s really because of me.\u201dGordon assures her that divorce is \u201cabout problems between grown-ups.\u201d He tells her, \u201cYou didn\u2019t make this happen.\u201dThat cheers her up slightly, enough to wonder whether one of her magic spells could keep them together. Gordon sighs and explains that \u201cnot even magic could change something like this.\u201d\u201cBig Feelings\u201d\u00a0shows that children, too, must grapple with a wide array of emotions.\u00a0Gordon addresses Abby\u2019s emotional turmoil over having, as she says, \u201cso many different feelings at the same time.\u201d He explains with a song that opens with: \u201cThere are so many different feelings that can be inside of you.\u201d\u201cChanges\u201d\u00a0shows that children must be taught that expressing and discussing their emotions will help.\u00a0Gordon explains to Abby that \u201cwhenever you\u2019re going through a big change, it\u2019s important to talk to someone about what you\u2019re thinking or feeling.\u201d\u201cBird Family Song\u201d\u00a0shows that it helps for children to know they aren\u2019t the only victims of divorce.\u00a0Overhearing Rosita, Elmo, Abby, and Gordon talking about divorce, a little Birdie flies down from the nest he shares with his mother and says his family, too, is divorced. Dad lives in a different tree, Birdie says. \u201cThey live in different places, but they both love me,\u201d he sings, bringing divorce into perspective as something many families experience.\u201cChase\u2019s Story\u201d\u00a0shows the ramifications of divorce through a real boy\u2019s story.\u00a0The story broadens here, taking on human form. Viewers meet Chase, a 10-year-old boy who has lived with his grandmother and mother since he was 5, when his parents\u2019 divorce landed him in a new home with new friends and a new school.It\u2019s a \u201cdifferent kind of family,\u201d Chase\u2019s mother explains. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be sad, right, and it doesn\u2019t have to be \u2013 people don\u2019t have to be angry at each other.\u201d\u201cChase\u2019s Family Support\u201d\u00a0shows that a change in family structure does not mean the loss of family.\u00a0Viewers meet Chase\u2019s aunt, uncle and cousins, and Chase explains that people he loves are not gone from his life. \u201cI still have my family to be with.\u201d\u201cVictoria\u2019s Story\u201d\u00a0shows the dismay that a 10-year-old girl felt upon learning her parents would divorce.\u00a0Victoria, now 11, learned when she was 10 that her parents would be divorcing. She explains how she, too, has faced a lot of change. In the end, she says, the people she loves are still in her life.\u201cSupportive Friends and Family\u201d\u00a0shows that seeking professional help and opening up to others can make a difference.\u00a0Victoria shares about her family undergoing counseling, \u201ctalking it out.\u201d That \u201cmakes you feel just a little bit better,\u201d she says. Communicating with friends and family is the trick, she says.A Comprehensive ToolkitAlong with the videos, the Sesame Street divorce toolkit includes:A parent-caregiver guide with helpful resources, language, and advice for discussing divorce with children and helping them deal with changesA children\u2019s storybook,\u00a0\u201cTwo-Hug Day,\u201d about a boy named Niko who is transitioning between his parents\u2019 two homesA tip sheet for extended family and friendsWebinars and online discussion sessions to help people engage with their families and communitiesA Facebook page called\u00a0Sesame Street in CommunitiesA mobile application, \u201cSesame Street: Divorce,\u201d featuring resources and tools for parents and caregiversIf you or a loved one is coping with the challenges of divorce, Sesame Street\u2019s toolkit could be a big help. At Charles R. Ullman & Associates, we also provide extensive\u00a0divorce resources\u00a0to assist parents who are struggling to get through this difficult time."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"What \u2018Sesame Street\u2019 Can Teach Your Children About Divorce","item":"https:\/\/www.charlesullman.com\/sesame-street-to-tackle-the-touchy-topic-of-divorce#breadcrumbitem"}]}]