I remember watching Sesame Street as a child. I went to public school in our little Colorado town; a big yellow school bus took us 7 or 8 miles out into the country where our school sat on the high prairie with a stunning view of the mountains. There were no other buildings around for miles. When the bus brought me back home each day around 3:00 in the afternoon, my mom always gave me a snack and then after playing outside for a while, I raced inside to watch Sesame Street at 4:00. Even when I was 9 or 10, I still enjoyed the show, being transported for that hour from the sunny foothills of Colorado to the inner-city streets of New York City and the apartments of singing city workers and lovable puppets (muppets).

I was only 2-years-old when Sesame Street first aired in 1969. I don't remember the first time I saw it, but it soon became just a part of my childhood, like Mr. Rogers and Captain Kangaroo, bicycles and ponies, roller skates and jumping rope. I always sat on the floor of my parents' bedroom and watched their tiny color TV. I absentmindedly played with the strands from the thick shag carpet on the floor as I watched Big Bird try, unsuccessfully, to convince the rest of the world that Mr. Snuffleupagus was a real friend, not an imaginary one. It was fascinating to me how the lumbering elephant-like Snuffleupagus managed to disappear into the shadows as soon as anyone else arrived on the scene, leaving Big Bird sputtering and frustrated that he couldn't prove the existence of his friend.

I used to laugh with Ernie as he breezed through life laughing and chuckling, while his uptight roommate, Bert, let everything bother him. It wasn't long before I knew all the songs on the show from the initial sesame street song where the viewer sees a group of children running and playing throughout the city, to the counting songs, Spanish songs, learning songs, friendship and silly songs. I cheered for the lovable cookie monster as he always managed to eat the cookies he wasn't supposed to eat, as well as the plate they were sitting on and the box they came in. Perhaps my favorite was Mr. Hooper, the smiling old shopkeeper who was kind to everyone and always helped iron out any problems with the characters.

By the time my children began watching Sesame Street, some 20+ years later, much had changed. Mr. Hooper had died, Bob and Maria were looking older (but amazingly still there) and there were many new characters, including the adorable Elmo, whom my son took to right away. The opening song had been jazzed up a bit and there were modern graphics and colors, rather than the kids simply running through the city. I was disappointed to see that Mr. Snuffleupagus was no longer a secret; somewhere along the way when I was growing up and no longer watching, his presence had obviously been made known and he was now a regular character. Even Big Bird was a bit whinier than before; or maybe I had just grown up. Often progress means things get better and we benefit, but in the case of children's television, sometimes I think they should have just left well enough alone.