10 Signs That Give People The Impression That You Are Too Sweet

Frederick "Fred" McFeely Rogers was born March 20, 1928, without fanfare. On February 27, 2003, Fred Rogers passed away also without fanfare. I am convinced that this is how he wanted his exit from life to be. No parades, flags at half-mast, and no government holiday.

But for 33 consistent years, Fred Rogers impacted the masses of young and old with such a stealthy directness, gentleness and soft-spoken voice, that he was often made the butt of parodies, which he easily took in stride. Rogers was a good sport. If you could ask the late Johnny Carson, he would agree with me because on The Tonight Show, he spoofed a Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood with him, (Carson) parodying Rogers. Afterwards, Carson made the statement, “I’ve known Fred Rogers for years and I have the highest respect for him. And he has always been a good sport when we or anyone pokes fun at him.”

Rogers just happened to be one of Carson’s guests that night and when it came his turn to be interviewed by Carson, Rogers sat and laughed at himself with a genuine laugh that proved Carson’s point of him being a good sport.

I confess it. I was a fan of Mr. Rogers, but not as much when I first discovered his show on PBS. Actually “I” thought Rogers was “acting” and being silly to boot. That attitude soon changed when I stopped to study his background as a Presbyterian minister who was not pleased at how mainstream television was treating children’s programming, so he decided to do something about it.

Enter “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” and his weekly-visit to the “Neighborhood of Make Believe,” where he and his viewers were all treated to a ride on his “Magic Trolley.” This sounds like a review, but it’s not. Far from it. Just my way of using Fred Rogers as my inspiration of someone who I’m sure at some point of his life was openly-accused of being too sweet. Sadly, there are people that way.

But without placing Fred Rogers on a pedestal, he was human. I am one who would bet that he had his moments of irritation, frustration, and aggravation, and probably let a few unacceptable words slip from his mouth. I do not know this for a legal fact. I am just willing to take an uneducated guess.

Toward the end of Rogers’ run on PBS, I liked him. Not just for his stance against violence of any type, but how he wove his “anti” message into his shows and stood against such things as abuse, animal cruelty, and war among nations. Rogers had a backbone. And wasn’t a limp noodle about using it.

So if you were of the opinion that Fred Rogers was too sweet, you must have recognized the signs of this state that might be annoying to some. And if you didn’t read the signs, here are

“10 Signs That Give People The Impression That You Are Too Sweet”

Frederick "Fred" McFeely Rogers

(March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003)

was an American educator, Presbyterian minister, songwriter, author, and television host. Rogers was most famous for creating and hosting Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1968–2001), which featured his gentle, soft-spoken personality and directness to his audiences.

Initially educated to be a minister, Rogers was displeased with the way television addressed children and made an effort to change this when he began to write for and perform on local Pittsburgh-area shows dedicated to youth. WQED developed his own show in 1968 and it was distributed nationwide by Eastern Educational Television Network. Over the course of three decades on television, Fred Rogers became an indelible American icon of children's entertainment and education, as well as a symbol of compassion, patience, and morality. He was also known for his advocacy of various public causes. His testimony before a lower court in favor of fair use recording of television shows to play at another time (now known as time shifting) was cited in a U.S. Supreme Court decision on the Betamax case, and he gave now-famous testimony to a U.S. Senate committee, advocating government funding for children's television.

Rogers received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, some forty honorary degrees, and a Peabody Award. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame, was recognized by two Congressional resolutions, and was ranked No. 35 among TV Guide's Fifty Greatest TV Stars of All Time.[5] Several buildings and artworks in Pennsylvania are dedicated to his memory, and the Smithsonian Institution displays one of his trademark sweaters as a "Treasure of American History".

Source: WikiPedia

• A cheesy-smile is plastered on your face around the clock.
• You overdo using manners such as literally jogging across a wide parking lot to open a car door for a woman.
• You overdo using manners when you exit the grocery store by struggling to try to carry four women’s groceries.
• When you are shopping and happen to see a man dressed in a three-piece suit and tie, you are like a possessed man in inviting yourself to straighten his tie and using a lint-catching wheel (you always carry with you) on his suit.
• If you see a small child with his mom and the child has fell into a mud puddle, you take the kid to a clothing store and suit him up all on your credit card.
• If you know of a housewife in your neighborhood whose husband has forgotten her birthday, “you” send her a dozen red roses and pay for them, but you cannot remain anonymous for you want her to know that “you” wanted her to be happy.
• One time you lay down on the sidewalk to cover a dog’s fecal matter to keep an elderly man (with failing eyesight) from stepping in mess and soil his shoes.
• You are as fidgety as a mongoose attacking a cobra when you are in line at the grocery store for jumping from one line to the next just looking for someone who comes up short so “you” can pay for their food.
• You have gone as far as to go to the local jail so you can collect the prisoners’ orange jumpsuits so you can wash and iron them at no cost to your town.
• You are a fixture at the local middle school for visiting one class each week to give a lecture on “Using Proper Manners.”
• And one for good luck . . .
• You buy a full-page ad in your local newspaper to tell everyone just how wonderfully this hub was written.

If I am ever accused of being too sweet, then I will consider it a great honor to be in the same league as one great guy, Mr. Fred Rogers.

Coming soon . . .”Competing Cleanly with Your Rival over Your Girlfriend”