Recently, Congress started a whole big hoopla (they're good at that). The controversy surrounded the plan to cut funding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting - $430 million, to be exact. Now, I don't know about you, but as an adult the Corporation for Public Broadcasting plays but little part in my day-to-day existence. Sure, I'm happy whenever I can catch "Lidia's Italy" on Saturday afternoons on PBS. I love that woman and wish she were my Italian grandma (but I'm not Italian so that wouldn't work). Otherwise? I'm not a fan of NPR, though I know many adults who love it.

However, I start thinking about what life would be like if I wasn't lucky enough to have a mom who treated TV like my babysitter. If I wasn't fortunate enough to be able to watch "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" and "Sesame Street" (you know, back when it was still good and not completely Elmo-centric) several times a day. And cold sweats ensue because, let's face it: All of life's lessons were learned in front of the TV during those times.

There's no way I could possibly enumerate every single way PBS shaped my childhood and therefore my entire life, but here's a list of examples of the lessons provided by these brilliant programs.

1. ABC, 123

Yes, but can you tell me how to get there?

Pretty obvious, right? And sure, kids nowadays are learning how to read and count on...whatever crap shows they're watching nowadays. But Sesame Street taught us with style and cleverness. There wasn't so much frantic action, so much in-your-face nonsense. There were songs which taught us what we needed to know without pandering to us or making the mistake of overloading us. Think about it. The Ladybugs Picnic. C is for Cookie. Pinball Number Count (one two three FOUR five, six seven eight NINE ten, eleven twe-e-elve!). It never gets old. And all of it, every word and note, is buried in our collective subconscious forever. I'm willing to make a bet that you're singing to yourself right now.

2. Life Comes to an End, Eventually

I am a little young to remember the death of Mr. Hooper, but I sure remember reruns of when Mr. Rogers' pet fish went belly-up. What a powerful message these shows dared to teach children - that life as we know it does come to an end. That's a massive concept for a kid to grasp, but these shows went there. And the explanations weren't all wrapped up in childish rhetoric, either. In both instances, the subject was dealt with gently but seriously and in a way that kids could understand, but which would respect their intelligence as well.

3. We're All Different, and That's Okay

A giant child-bird, furry monsters, talking owls and bashful tigers, a singing frog who sometimes reported the news, a bossy puppet who called everyone "Toots," and a Snuffleupagus (whatever that is).

People existed alongside these strange creatures. And it was all good. Everyone lived and worked together - peacefully, for the most part, except when Lady Elaine was toots-ing havoc all over the place. There's a lesson in there somewhere, I'm sure of it.

4. The YOU Inside is What Counts, and That's Why People Like You...and Why You Should Like Yourself

Someday I want my sweater to be hanging in the Smithsonian.

Up until the late 60's/early 70's, kids were pretty much useless. They didn't count because they weren't old enough to work or vote. So they were dressed up and paraded around at parties and holiday functions, then put back into storage until the next function or when they grew up and became useful to society. Whichever came first.

Then came that subversive Presbyterian minister, Fred Rogers, who told kids that they were important. They counted as people. They had thoughts that mattered. And he told them (us) that real friends don't like you for your toys or the things you wear. They like you for who you are inside, and that inside, you're a good person and worth being liked and listened to. What a revolutionary idea. But it's just the sort of thing kids need to hear. After all, it's not like we're born knowing stuff like this. Mr. Rogers understood the value of talking to kids like they were grownups, but never went over their heads. A fine line, indeed.

5. Feeling Your Feelings is a Good Thing, as Long as You Deal with Them in a Healthy Way

When I was growing up, I had Mr. Rogers to remind me that if I was mad, it was okay. I could punch a pillow, or pound on some clay, or run really fast to blow off steam and see how far I could go. It was okay to stop doing whatever was wrong, whatever was making me mad because it wasn't going right, and do something else instead. Today, kids don't have that gentle message. They're also bullying each other more than ever, setting each other on fire and going on shooting sprees. Doesn't take a rocket scientist, folks.

6. Crayons Are, in Fact, Made in a Factory

Raise your hand if the video of how crayons are made didn't burn itself into your impressionable mind and stay with you for the rest of your life. Or was it just me? It was so neat to get an inside look at how things happened in the grown-up world. And that's just one example, of course - Sesame Street showed us all sorts of clips of how things worked, and Mr. Rogers actually took us to visit friends in the neighborhood who did all sorts of neat things. Our impressionable little horizons were being broadened and we didn't even know it. And as we all know, trickery and sleight of hand are the way to go when teaching stuff to kids.

What lessons do you think today's kids are missing out on?

Who taught you more - Mr. Rogers or Sesame Street?